Scratch
by WendyBird15
Summary: She just sat there; Her eyes were glazed, out of focused; She slumped in her seat. She wasn't herself anymore. Can he save her from her downward spiral? or Will he succumb to his own depression too? **RECENTLY UPDATED A/N AS NEWEST CHAPTER**
1. Chapter 1

(Note: The "First" Chapter on this story is actually an Author's Note for the Introduction)

A/N: For years, I have been the victim of highschool humiliation and exclusion. I'm the outcast among them. I'm the girl who's an emotionally damaged, quiet, misjudged, socially awkward, too-mature-for-my-age-group-and-somewhat-shy loner who can only express her emotions through writing. But I've just learned that sometimes, you just have to deal with it.

I've experienced first-hand what it feels like to be betrayed by someone who you thought you could trust with your life - It wasn't a boyfriend like what Rachel lost. For me, it was my best friend. She was like a sister to me. Then she turned into someone I didn't recognize, and we started fighting. Then finally, one time when we were fighting, she took a shot at one of my parents; She started insulting them, telling me they're the reason I'm an unpopular failure… I stopped talking to her after that. Even after 6 months, it's a fresh wound.

Anyways, This story is an A/U but it's not too different. It's in Rachels' POV. Hope you enjoy it!


	2. Crashing to the ground below

CHAPTER 1

Crashing to the ground below.

_Rachel_

Nothing was the same anymore. Not for her. What Finn did to Rachel was like taking the floor out from underneath her feet. It wasn't the last straw - No, that would be the cherry slushy Azimio poured down her shirt two days ago. That was the last straw.

Rachel sits on the edge of the bed, her back slumped, her eyes boring into the floorboards. Her hair is messy - bits are sticking up and frizzy strands stick up, impossible to set down without hairspray. Rachel looks at the picture on her desk of her and Finn just before Regionals last year. Anger surges up in her and she leaps from her bed to snatch the photo in her hands. In a quick, hateful moment, she opens her window, letting the wind blast raindrops into her face, and launches it out the window. A faint smashing sound was heard, and she shut the window in angst. After a moment of thinking, she grabbed her journal from behind her bed's backboard, and started writing.

_Journal,_ she wrote.

_I'm not the same person. I can feel myself changing. I suddenly find myself with the need to express myself more, not just through my voice. I want people to SEE what I feel. The Animal sweaters and the mini skirts, they're nice… But I don't think they express me anymore. Not the new me. _

She stopped writing for a moment. _I need something different,_ she thought to herself. Jumping off her bed, she threw the doors to her closet open. Hanging on the racks, sorted by chromatic colors and articles, were her sweaters and her skirts. She ripped them off the hangers, sending them cascading onto her floor, forming a large mountain of clothing. When her entire closet was empty, she ran downstairs and grabbed several black plastic garbage bags from under the sink. She returned to her bedroom and began stuffing the sweaters and skirts and knee-high socks into the bags. Eventually, where were five overly-stuffed bags of clothes occupying the floorspace of Rachels' room. She sat back down on her bed in a huff, catching her breath. It was a saturday morning, and she had spent friday night crying herself to sleep; a confrontation with Quinn was to blame.

Once she had caught her breath, she changed out of her PJ's and into a pair of black skinny jeans she had bought for the _Living on a prayer/Start me up_ mashup, a pair of black flats with no socks, and a loose grey v-neck tee shirt. She brushed her hair into a loose, messy ponytail, and began to throw the massive black garbage bags down the stairway to the front foyer. _I'll drop these off at the thrift store on the way to the mall,_ she thought. She put her grey button-up coat on, grabbed her keys, and hauled the bags of clothing out to her sleek silver subaru outback. After stuffing the bags into the back seat, she got in and drove to the thrift store. On the way there, she struggled to keep her emotions under tight wraps. She could feel the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she fought with as much strength as she had to keep them from falling. _Not yet, _she pleaded silently. _You can't cry over this yet._ She dropped the bags off behind the thrift store at the loading dock, then hit the highway. She started wondering to herself why she felt the need to change her appearance. She wondered if it was about moving on from Finn, but she could still feel the longing feelings for him in her heart when she thought of him. She wasn't over him. She was nowhere near moving on.

She pondered to herself for the rest of the drive to the mall. When she arrived, she took her credit car out of her back pocket and began assembling a new wardrobe. _Don't think about it, _she said to herself repeatedly. She needed something - Anything, to keep her mind off of the walls she had put up to protect herself.

The walls that were now starting to crumble.

_Sam._

Sam closed his locker on Monday morning. He'd stayed up late last night by accident, and he was still in the morning lull of sleepiness. Textbook in hand, he glanced across the hallway, scanning the crowd for watching as Finn planted a kiss on Quinn. Anger bubbled inside him, but he didn't act upon it. He lifted his textbook and turned to walk to class, but realized he had the wrong textbook. Sighing in frustration, he began spinning the dial on his lock once again. He was just about to open his lock when he heard the sounds of gasps and shocked murmurs from the students farther down the hall. He looked down the hall to see what they were so shocked about, and his own breath caught in his throat too.

Walking down the hallway, was a familiar tiny figure. She held her textbooks tightly to her chest, her gaze lowered slightly, as she made her way through the parting crowd of astonished teenagers.

She looked _completely _different than the last time Sam had seen her. Her hair was different; Before, she had long, loosely curled brown hair that framed her face nicely if paired with a headband. Now, she had long, straight, feathered layers with sleek, side-sweeping bangs that looked like a waterfall. Her hair was darker; it was almost black, but you could see it was brown where the light shined on it. It was a hairstyle most assumed would look weird on her. But surprisingly, she could pull it off beautifully. She was dressed completely different, too. Instead of her animal sweater-and-skirt ensemble, she was wearing a pair of tattered, torn and fading dark denim flare jeans, black converse runners, and a dark purple v-neck tee shirt under a shortened black leather jacket.

It was unlike anything he'd ever seen Rachel do. He'd seen her in costume, yeah, but this - This was entirely different, somehow. He felt a presence beside him, and he turned to see the same shocked look adorning the face of Mr. Shuester as he watched Rachel walk to class. It was a moment before he could speak.

"W…What was that about?" he asked aloud. He turned to face Sam, and he shrugged in response. His gaze was boring into the back of her head as she walked down the hallway._ Why do I feel like I know what she's doing?_


	3. You & Me Against The World

**CHAPTER 2**

**A/N: First of all - The reviews you guys wrote were absolutely amazing! Letting me know there were people who could sympathized really made my day when I read them. Thank you guys so much for everything!**

**OH, By the way - I don't know if you guys noticed, but I lengthened chapter 1. Now it contains a section in Sam's POV. You'll want to read it before you read this!**

**Anyways, This chapter is not only going to be in Sam's POV, but it's going to show a lot more to Rachels' transition from Bright and Shiny to Dark and Twisty. You'll have to read further to learn more! :D**

Note:

_Italic: Rachel or Sam's thoughts(except the headline before the chapter; that only shows the POV)_

CHAPTER 2

_Sam_

Sam was distracted all day. Ever since he'd seen Rachel this morning, he's had this twisted feeling in his gut; Almost like he already knew the answers to the questions he wanted to ask. _What happened to make her like this? Should I talk to her? What would I say?_ It was all so confusing. When the final bell rang, he was the first one out of his seat and in the hallway. He knew one thing for certain: Rachel Never Missed Glee, no matter how sick or depressed she was. Maybe he could hear the whole story and understand her sudden change in persona.

He pushed the door the the choir room open and found the room surprisingly subdued; He assumed everyone would be in an uproar - Not that they weren't, but their reaction was different than what he'd predicted. Mercedes, Artie and Tine was sitting together, whispering loud enough for him to catch snippets.

"…Wonder what came over her… Never seen her this bad before…" He heard Mercedes mumbling.

"Maybe this has to do with…" Tina suggested. Sam thought he heard her say _Finn,_ but he wasn't certain. It didn't matter, as Artie shook his head doubtfully.

"She wasn't this bad when Jesse… Vocal adrenaline again," he murmured. Sam shook his head; All this talk was confusing him. _Who's this Jesse kid? What about Vocal adrenaline? Huh?_

He didn't have long to think about it before the sound of the whispering went silent, and Rachel entered the choir room. Her eyes were unfocused, avoiding the 12 people staring at her with concern and surprise in their eyes. She walked silently over to her seat in the first row, pulling out a notebook and a pen, doodling absently. Her usual grace was still there, and she sat with brave dignity. She let her hair fall over one side of her face, which blocked the gazes of the other Glee club members. But from where Sam was sitting on the other side of the room, he could see the blank expression on her face and the subdued pain in her eyes.

Quinn walked up to her, a smirk on her face; After a moment, Sam put two and two together. _Duh! Why didn't I see this before? This is about Finn! That's why I got that feeling like I knew what was going on; This happened to me with Quinn! _His eyes widened when he realized what was about to go down.

"Acting all sad and pathetic and helpless like this won't work, you know. He's never going back to you," she smirked coldly. "Nice effort, though. I almost thought you were sincere, man-hands."

Rachel looked up at her with a look of innocent, sweet sarcasm. Albeit the act, her eyes were blazing with a glare that looked better than Sue Sylvesters' death glare.

"I'm not doing this with you. You can push me around all you want, but I'm not going to give you the reaction you're looking for. So you can take your bitchy ways and go now," she replied, with a sarcastic smile on her face. Surprised gasps filled the room, and she looked back down at her doodles with the same blank expression on her face as before. Quinn stared at her in shock, then turned and walked back to her seat next to Finn with the same subdued expression on her face. People were staring at Rachel in stupefied silence. She glanced up quickly, then returned her focus to her doodling.

"So do I have something in my hair, or are you guys staring at me like total creepers for no good reason?" she snapped sarcastically, putting down her pen. Almost immediately everyone jumped, and began doing other things. Sam was impressed; She looked completely different, and she was acting like a completely different person, but in this case, it wasn't a bad thing. She'd just managed to tell off his ex-girlfriend in one simple verse, and now Quinn was sitting next to Finn, in a subdued, offended manner. Finn was looking at Rachel with deep concern in his eyes, and Sam suddenly felt annoyed with the towering quarterback.

_Oh, please. You made your choice, moron, you can't have both. You've done enough damage to her, you're the reason why she's become so broken and hurt. _He looked down to Rachel, who had lowered her gaze again and was now doodling on a new page in her book. Mr. Shuester walked into the room, noticing Rachel once again.

"Hey Rachel, what's with the new look?" he asked her, confused. She didn't look up, just continued drawing in her notebook.

"Felt like it," she replied curtly. Mr. Shue narrowed his eyes in concern. Sam looked at her with an expression filled with sympathy. _I think I'm the only one here who knows what she's going through, _he thought to himself. _I wonder if I should talk to her, I mean she probably doesn't have anyone she can talk to who understands what she's going through._ Mr. Shuester narrowed his eyes, lingering on Rachel for a moment, before he turned back to the class and began the lesson for the day. Sam kept his attention divided between the lesson and Rachel, who was watching intently.

Things went by faster than Sam had expected; The next thing he knew, the others were picking up their bags and leaving. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he walked over to Rachel. Steeling his nerves, he spoke.

"Rachel?" he asked her. She looked up from her bag through her bangs.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked as she stuffed her notebook in her bag.

"You got a moment?" he asked. _Don't screw up, don't screw up, don't screw up. _Rachel looked at him in surprise for a moment, before picking her bag up and resting it on her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," she said, and he followed her as she walked to her locker.

Sam rested his shoulder on the locker next to hers in the empty hallway; Everyone was gone now, it was just them. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly before he started to speak. He had plotted these words out in his head very carefully, ensuring that he wouldn't look too creepy if he said the wrong thing.

"So this new and improved you," he started, as if it were the beginning of a question, "Would it happen to have anything to do with Finn?" he asked. He saw her expression change, and her gaze fall. _Great. You upset her. Smooth move!_ but Rachel spoke before he could.

"I figured someone would put it together," she murmured to herself, resting her back against the lockers next to him. "I guess shouldn't be surprised you figured it out first. I mean, it makes sense."

"So why aren't you expressing the new you through singing?" he asked.

It was the one thing that confused him; She had an amazing voice, why choose to express her emotions through appearance instead of song?

"I…" she replied, exhaling in a sigh. "I dunno, really… I guess I just wanted it to be visible, you know? to not have to use my voice to explain it."

"Well, considering the difference between animal sweaters and faux leather jackets, I have to say you did a pretty great job," he smiled, and she chuckled. For the first time in the entire day, he saw her smile. And it wasn't one of those fake, too-bright-teeth smiles; it was pure, and warm, and true.

"Thanks," she murmured. They sat there for a moment, before Rachel turned to look at him. "How are you handling it?" she asked. His expression turned grim for a moment.

"I've been better," he replied honestly. "Watching you tell Quinn off was a perk, though," he added. She smirked.

"Yeah, I have no idea what her problem is…" she sighed. He could tell from her expression that she was thinking of Finn. He put a hand on her shoulder, and almost instantly felt an electrifying jolt of energy come from his hand. She looked up at him, confused. He turned her so that they were facing each other.

"He doesn't deserve you, Rachel. I didn't see him defend you once while you were dating, and from what I gather from Mike, he's a bit of a hypocrite considering what happened last year. So, you kissed Puck; He slept with Santana and lied to you about it. You don't want to be pulled down by someone like him," he told her quietly. Her eyes were full of emotion; She looked like she was about to cry.

"You… You really think that?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Yeah. Finn's a jerk; He knows what it feels like toe cheated on, and yet he put me through that anyways. We were both wronged here, and I think you deserve better."

She smiled a bit, looking him in the eyes.

"You deserve better then Quinn, too. Considering her past relationships, she doesn't give a damn about anyone but herself. Sleeping with Puck, cheating on Finn, LYING to Finn, Cheating on you… You've shown me that you're a much better person than I thought you were. You're pure-hearted, and she doesn't deserve you," she explained, only breaking their gaze for a moment. Her expression slowly turned to one of hurt and sadness. Sam felt the panic rise in him as a single tear streaked down her face. She wasn't gasping for air, she didn't look like she was crying, but a tear fell anyways.

"Whoa - Hey, are you crying?" he asked her seriously. She shook her head and wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"Sorry… I just… What have I done to deserve this? This pain, this torture, this drama…" she murmured, as another tear started falling and she quickly wiped it away. Her breath was starting to get ragged now, and Sam did the only thing he knew he could do to help her. He let his bag slide off his shoulder, dropping to the floor, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. It took a moment before Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist, returning the hug.

"Shh, it's okay," he murmured quietly, rubbing her back his his hand as she sobbed silently into his letterman jacket. Nobody noticed the football player hugging the tiny girl in the hallway for what seemed like hours. She finally let go, and he stepped back, letting his arms fall to his side. She looked up at him with a new expression; They had reached an understanding; a pact, that nobody else would understand. They would always stand up for each other, no matter what happened next. He smiled slightly as he used the pad of his thumb to wipe the tear streaks off her face.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly. He nodded to her.

"Here, I'll walk you out," he replied, taking her bag from her. She smiled, nodding, and they walked out of the school. They made their way to the parking lot and over to Rachels' shiny black Honda accord; The thing looked like a sports car, and Sam smiled, impressed with her choice of car. He opened the door for her, and she took her bag from him and got in. She started the car, but before she pulled away she looked at Sam through the window and mouthed the words 'Thank you.' He mouthed back 'You're welcome' and she pulled away. He watched her go before he walked over to his old chevy pickup truck and drove home. He could feel something different inside him; He didn't know exactly what, but it felt like he was promising he would never let her get hurt again.

**Well, I think it did pretty damn well on this chapter. Hope you guys liked it!**


	4. They Don't Mean Anything Anymore

CHAPTER 3

A/N: Once again, the reviews you guys give are amazing! The other authors you review must be in bliss haha! (Not saying i'm not - I'm incredibly happy! :D)

Anyways, this chapter's actually going to feature music! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams, would I own Glee :\

CHAPTER 3

_Rachel_

Life was looking a little better for Rachel these days. Not only had her 'understanding' with Sam grown into a much-needed and reliable friendship, but she was now known throughout the school not to be messed with. She wasn't sure if it had to do with Sam defending her everytime he could, or the fact that she had taken down Quinn twice in the last week; Once in Glee on Monday, the second in the hallway on Wednesday. Quinn had attempted to douse her in a slushy, and she had managed to avoid it entirely. She retaliated by telling Quinn that a slushy won't do anything to her anymore. When Quinn tried to attack her in a hateful Plan B, she blocked the attacks until Coach Beiste pulled Quinn away. When Figgins heard the entire story, it resulted in Quinn's suspension for the rest of the week. Today was Friday, and as she stumbled around her somewhat-messy room stuffing her school supplies in her bag, a knock sounded on her door. Looking up at the door with a deer-in-the-headlights expression, she found her voice after a second.

"Yeah?" she called. The door creaked open, and Sam poked his head in. He'd been driving her to school since Quinn was suspended because he was worried that Quinn might try to confront her off school grounds. Rachel thought it was ridiculous; She could easily defend herself, she'd proven that to Quinn. Nonetheless, Sam insisted.

"You almost ready to go?" he asked her, a grin on his face. She nodded.

"I just need to find my calculator, then I can-" she tripped over a stuffed bear on the floor and landed in the clean folded laundry at the foot of her bed. Sam laughed as she started cussing under her breath, before he walked over and helped her up.

"God, sometimes I SWEAR my room's booby-trapped. I just put that bear on the shelf, for crying out loud!" she muttered. Sam laughed again, looking at the floor.

"It could have to do with your boots, too," he replied, and Rachel looked down. She was wearing a pair of dark fading skinny jeans with a pair of ankle-length black booties with a rather tall heel. Her top was a loose, relaxed blue singlet tee, one sleeve falling off her shoulder making it look like a slouch top, over a black undershirt, and a long, rustic silver snake pendant. She smiled sheepishly, and looked back up.

"Yeah. It probably could be about my boots," she sighed. Sam glanced down at the messed up pile of laundry, and saw a glint of purple in his peripheral vision. He glanced over at the object and smiled. Bending down, he picked her calculator up off the floor, and handed it to her. She smiled, one of those _oh-my-god-it-was-right-in-front-of-my-face _expressions making her smile genuine. Sam laughed, and she took the calculator and stuffed it in her messenger bag.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, and they made their way out of the house and out to Sam's old red chevy pickup. It was one of those trucks that would come out without a dent if it was in an accident with another car. He opened the door for her and she smiled as she got in.

Her friendship with Sam was like breathing in and out, to Rachel. Him being there for her was like a safety net underneath the tightrope in a circus; He made her feel that much safer. The fact that they were both the victims of the Quinn/Finn debacle, made it that much easier for them to sympathize with each other; Nobody else knew what they were going through; Nobody would understand; It was just him and her. Subconsciously, Rachel was grateful for that; She needed him right now.

He walked around the front of the truck and hopped in beside her. A minute later, they were on the road and driving out of the suburban area of town and into downtown Lima.

"So did you find a song for the Glee assignment?" she asked; Mr. Schue had a history of giving out challenging assignments, and this one was to find a song that was true to your emotions - but it had to be from a genre of music you wouldn't usually listen to. Since Rachel was in mid-transition, she could still use the song(Indie and rock music were now her biggest weaknesses, but she had picked something else) without being disqualified. She'd already chosen her song; She'd seen a documentary on the artist and once she heard the song, she was set on it. "Nah, still thinking. I've got a couple of songs that could work, but they probably won't go because Alternative rock and rock are sorta the same thing, and I'll probably get busted for it," he joked. She sighed, a _not-again/seriously?_ expression on her face.

"Uh huh, sure," she murmured. He turned to looked over at her, fighting to not smile uncontrollably. She looked back at him, amusement sparkling in her eyes, and she burst into laughter, a grin spreading over her face and eventually his.

They pulled into the school parking lot and Rachel felt a quiver of uneasiness shiver down her spine as she watched the student body slowly move their focus to them. Sam looked over at her.

"Hey, relax. They try anything stupid, I've got your back and they'll pay," he said. She turned to look at him, and nodded. As Sam parked the truck, she turned to gazing out the window emotionlessly. Stepping out of the truck, Sam walked around the truck and opened the backseat door on Rachels' side, grabbing their bags. He turned to Rachel, who was now out of the car and standing beside him in anticipation, and held out her bag. She took it from him graciously, and they started walking to the school. Considering it was late march, there was still snow on the ground. As if they had timed it, they both ducked to avoid two ice-filled snowballs whizzing towards their heads; They whistled past them, barely missing their heads as they ducked. Next to her, she felt Sam reach out and grab a handful of snow. _Ah, great… A snowball war? on the ONE day I decide to wear heels. Wow, I have good timing…_ She puts her hand on Sam's shoulder, holding him back.

"Sam, don't. It's not worth it and we'll get soaked," she murmured. He looked at her, then at the kids who threw the snowballs, then scowls.

"Urgh… Fine. C'mon, before we get ambushed again." he hauls her to her feet, and they take off running for the front doors.

_Sam_

The day went by fast; The next thing Sam knew, the final bell was ringing and he was on his way to Glee Club. Mind you, all day his mind had been focused on Glee. He'd finally chosen a good song for his assignment; He had no backup plan and there was no going back now. He'd made his decision; All his emotions would be put out on view to the Glee club. He still had the gut-wrenching knot in his stomach at the idea of letting EVERYTHING out, but he knew in the long run it would help him. The pressure of keeping his emotions bottled up like this felt like he was holding up the sky. (A/N: It's a greek mythology reference, just in case you didn't know. I know, i'm such a nerd! XD)

He took his seat in the middle row in the choir room, talking with Mike.

"So do you know what the others are singing?" he asked Mike; Mike was one of his closest friends - Apart from Artie, the rest of the guys in the club(Minus Kurt, who doesn't really count because he moved to Dalton) had screwed him over one way or another; Puck because he would make really nasty jokes about Quinn leaving him; Finn because; Well, he stole Quinn from him and he hates the way he treats Rachel. Mike shrugged.

"I dunno anything. All I know is that I got off easy - no singing for me!" he grinned widely. Sam chuckled, patting him on the back.

"Good for you, man. Well I think i've got a pretty good song, so we'll see." Mr. Schuester walked in and the singing began a few moments later. They were good songs - a lot of them Sam surely thought were better then his own choice; Mercedes with her rendition of Stuttering by Fefe Dobson, Artie with Feels like Tonight by Daughtry - They were all really great. He was humming different notes from his song when Rachel stepped up; The talking in the group quieted down almost immediately. She Stood in the middle of the room as the bad began playing the music she'd given them. After a moment, she looked up, burning her stare into Finn. She took a deep breath and began singing.

(Note: the lyrics are in Italic and they are not thoughts)

_Forgive,_

_Sounds good,_

_Forget,_

_I'm not sure I could,_

_They say,_

_Time heals everything,_

_But I'm still waiting…_

Unexpectedly, he found himself unable to look away from the small girl who was standing in the middle of the room, her hands at her sides, and her eyes now gazing at the floor. He felt a slow, burning sensation course through his veins, and he felt a weird ache in his chest as he watched her. She looked up, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. It was like as if something passed between them silently then, because she looked up at the crowd now with more confidence then she had before.

_I'm through,_

_With doubt…_

_There's nothing left for me,_

_To figure out…_

_I've paid,_

_A price…_

_And I'll keep payin'…_

She looked at Sam once again before she began the choros, belting the lyrics out with pure strength behind her voice.

_I'm not ready to make nice,_

_I'm not ready to back down,_

_I'm still mad as hell and I don't have time to go 'round and 'round and 'round,_

_It's too late to make it right,_

_Probably wouldn't if I could,_

_'Cuz I'm mad as hell, can't being myself to do what it is, you think I, should…_

_I know,_

_You said…_

_"Can't you just get over it?"_

_It turned,_

_My whole world around,_

_And I kinda like it…_

Her eyes were locked with Sams throughout the last two lines of the verse, before she closed them again and he saw her hands bunch into fists. He knew she was pouring her emotions out into this song just as much as he would be on his song.

_Made my bed, and I sleep like a baby, with no regrets and I don't' mind saying'_

_It's a sad sad story when her mother will teach her daughter that she oughta hate a perfect stranger_

_And how in the world can the words that I said,_

_Send somebody so over the edge that they'd_

_write me a letter; Sayin' that I better_

_Shut up and sing or my life would be over… _

When the bridge was over, almost everyone in the room was on their feet cheering her on; Sam was on his feet in an instant, applauding eagerly. He was watching her hold the last note in the bridge when he felt something twinge inside of him; not physically, but emotionally; Something was different when he looked at Rachel now. Her gaze was fixed intently on Finn, giving him the _I am OVER you_ look, and it just made Sam smile smugly when he saw the confused, hurt, and panicked expression on Finn's face.

_Idiot! he's going to confront her about this, isn't he? What if he hurts her? _Sam's smugness vanishedimmediately, and he was now watching Finn carefully; If he was going to try and hurt her again, Sam would stop him before he even started walking.

The song was drawing to a close, and Sam turned his attention back to Rachel. She was staring at Finn still; he could see the raw emotions in her eyes that made him uncomfortable under her glare.

_They say,_

_Time heals, everything…_

_But I'm still Waiting…._

Everyone was on their feet, walking forward to give Rachel a Hug and contort her. Well, everyone except Finn and Quinn; They just looked pissed.


	5. How are Broken Clocks a Comfort?

**CHAPTER 4**

**A/N: I apologize for the mistakes in Chapter 3, I sorta just wrote in a haze - I dunno what came over me, heheh… Also, Thank you for pointing out the mistake with Quinn being suspended - it had completely escaped me. And as for the Author note in the middle of the story - I swear, that was/will be a one-time thing, and it will likely never happen again - Just wanted to make sure you guys understood the reference :) Anyways, the song Rachel sang in the last chapter was Not Ready To Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks. I sing this song all the time - it's like an anthem to my life, what with all the stuff I've been through lol. **

**So something's actually going to HAPPEN between the two of them this time! Well, kinda sorta, it's kind of complica - you know what, just read on to find out. xD Enjoy guys!**

CHAPTER 4

_Rachel_

_Thunk!_

Rachel turned her head to the sound of the large nail kit box falling off the table next to her; It was saturday night, and she was sitting in her basement having a sleepover with Mercedes. Her dads were out of town for a meeting, and her diva-liscious friend had suggested a slumber party after the song she sang in Glee club on Friday. She had been concerned for Rachels' emotional well-being; She took a guess that she was going through a lot, and decided to help.

They were sitting on the couch reading magazines in their PJ's - Rachel in an undershirt, grey sweatpant short shorts, and a coral pink hoodie, and Mercedes in a set of dark purple fleece PJ pants and top - while their toenails were drying, and they poked fun at the different celebrities.

"Heheh, I wonder where Gaga got the inspiration for the egg," Rachel chuckled. Mercedes laughed, and looked at the photo.

"She probably fell in the dairy section in those armadillo shoes!" she joked, and they both started laughing again. The magazine on Rachels' lap fell to the floor, and as she leaned down to pick it up, her phone buzzed on the table above her. She whacked her head on the bottom edge of the table in response, grunting in pain for a moment before she straightened up and picked the blue and purple phone off the table. Mercedes was still laughing at a ridiculous photo of Adam Lambert, as Rachel flipped the phone open. Nobody else would text her at 1:30 in the morning but Sam, so she knew she should probably answer it.

_You still up? - SE_

She pressed reply and started typing.

_Yeah, what's up? - RB_

A moment passed and her phone buzzed again.

_Finn came over to my house, and now I've got an ice pack on my face… - SE. _Rachel's eyes widened in surprise; _WHAT?_

"Oh my god!" she murmured, and Mercedes looked at her.

"What?" she asked, dropping her magazine when she saw the look on Rachels' face. Rachel turned her phone so Mercedes could read the text, and she watched as her expression turned grim.

"Not good…" she mumbled. Rachel was already typing.

_What the hell happened? - RB._ She pressed send and slumped back onto the couch, her eyes wide with worry. Her phone buzzed again, and she flipped it open.

_He told me to stay away from you because he thinks he's the better person to protect you. I told him to leave you alone and back off, and he punched me. Told me if I so much as go near you again I'm dead. - SE. _She felt a tingle run up her back at the thought of Finn attacking Sam because of her, and felt concern swell inside of her for Sam. She started typing.

_Are you okay? Do you need help? - RB. _She pressed send and exhaled in a long sigh.

"We should be careful," Mercedes continued, "Finn might end up over here." Rachel smacked her forehead, and Mercedes looked over at her; She'd completely forgotten about that possibility.

"Dammit… You're right. I'll go check the locks, we should probably move this upstairs to my room in case he looks in the windows," she murmured. Mercedes nodded in agreement and began gathering the magazines scattered across the coffee table. Rachel got to her feet, walking on her heels to avoid messing up her pedicure, and walked out into the basement foyer. She slid the bolt on the lock into the frame of the door, fastening the chain lock as well, and then launched herself up the stairs and locked the front door and the back door. Mercedes came upstairs, magazines and nail kit in hand, and paused to look at her. Before she could speak, Rachels' phone buzzed. She looked at the text.

_The real question is are YOU alright? Finn might go to your place. You got someone there, or do I need to drive over? - SE. _Rachel flipped the phone open again and replied.

_I think I'm alright. 'Cedes is here and the doors are locked. I'll let you know if I do need any help though, but you need to keep the ice on your face, okay? - RB._ She pressed send and looked up at Mercedes, who was now looking at her expectantly.

"You okay? you and Froggy mouth seemed pretty close in glee club yesterday," she murmured. A second later, a curious gleam crossed her eyes, and Rachel groaned. _Oh boy. Here we go._

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried," she replied. She already knew what Mercedes' reply would be. She watched as Mercedes put down the magazines and nail kit, then started over towards Rachel, who was leaning against the kitchen counter. The mischievous gleam in her eyes was getting brighter.

"Is there something goin' on between you two? It would be a perfect way to hurt Quinn and Finn for what they did," she asked, the tone of her voice playfully inquisitive. Rachel sighed.

"No, there isn't. He's just been a really great friend for me. He gets what I'm going through, I guess," she explained. Mercedes nodded sarcastically.

"Right. Like I didn't see the looks between you two yesterday in glee, he was practically drooling over you when you sang, and you bawled your face off when he sang," she muttered.

Sam had chosen a great song, _Broken_ by Lifehouse. She liked the music Lifehouse had; She had sort of stopped listening to Broadway as much, and she'd turned to listening to indie music, rock and alternative.

~Flashback~

_Sam stood up from his seat next to Mike and walked down to the front of the room. He turned and faced the members of the club. Rachel could feel the tension building as he set his guitar down on the stand next to him._

_ "So I haven't been here long, but I've gone through a lot in that little time. I've laughed; I've loved," he said, glancing down a moment before looking up again, "I've lost, and I've hurt. I thought I was alone for a long time," he murmured, before he looked at Rachel with his eyes full of gratitude. "But I learned that I wasn't the only one hurt by what went down." he glared at Finn, who just scowled. "So this song is for anyone who's been there before." he picked his guitar up and started playing._

_"The broken clock is a comfort,_

_It helps me sleep tonight,_

_Maybe it can start tomorrow,_

_From stealing all my time,_

_And her I am still waiting,_

_Though I have my doubts,_

_I am damaged at best,_

_Like you've already figured out,"_

_As he sang the last line, he turned to look at Rachel. She could feel the tears budding at the corners of her eyes as he continued his song._

_"I'm falling apart, _

_I'm barely breathing,_

_With a broken heart,_

_That's still beating_

_In the pain_

_There is healing_

_In your name_

_I find meaning_

_So I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

_The broken locks were a warning,_

_You got inside my head,_

_I tried my best to be guarded,_

_I'm an open book instead…_

_And I still see your reflection,_

_Inside of my eyes,_

_That are looking for purpose,_

_They're still looking for life..._

_I'm falling apart, _

_I'm barely breathing,_

_With a broken heart,_

_That's still beating_

_In the pain_

_There is healing_

_In your name_

_I find meaning"_

_The crowd was now up and cheering, and Rachel was standing with her eyes shining with the tears. His song was so incredibly moving, and it sounded like as if he was telling her that they're in this together. The mere thought of that made her smile in confidence. He looked to her, and she mouthed 'Thank you' to him again. He smiled, and continued singing._

_"So I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

_I'm hanging on, another day_

_Just to see what, you will throw my way,_

_And I'm Hanging on, to the words you say,_

_You said that I, will be okay,"_

_(Sam POV)_

_He kept singing as Rachel wiped her tears away. She kept watching him, and she smiled when he went into the bridge. Normally, her smile would make him smile too, but this time, he felt a sense of warmth and tingling come over him. He smiled back, but he masked the confusion and awe from his expression. When he finished the song, the group was on their feet in an instant and were all applauding his performance. He smiled slightly as he put his guitar down again. Since he was the last one to perform that day, the class began gathering their things and leaving the choir room. Rachel waited for him to finish packing his guitar up before she walked over._

_ "That was an amazing song," she murmured to him. He looked up, and smiled slightly. His mind went back to the way her smile had made him feel for a moment, and the warmth and tingling returned._

_ "Hey, look who's talking! You were amazing up here today," he murmured. She smiled, her eyes still a little red from her tears. _

_ "Really?" she asked quietly. He stood up from where he was crouching, and put his hand on her shoulder with the sleeve falling down. His hand went numb when he rested it against her bare shoulder. Nonetheless, he snapped out of it and kept his face was completely sincere when he spoke to her._

_ "Your choice to sing that song, at this point in your life, in front of the people who haven't been there for you throughout this?" he asked, more like a statement then a question. She nodded, confused. "Probably the best timing in the world. I'll say it again; You were amazing," he murmured. She had new tears in her eyes now, and he pulled her into a hug, his strong arms supporting her as she let out the emotions that had been bottled up since her performance._

~End Flashback~

Rachel sighed at Mercedes remark. "He's just a friend," she repeated. She walked back down the stairs and turned the lights out in the basement, leaving the stairway illuminated, then started making her way upstairs. She was halfway up the stairs before a knock sounded on the door behind her. She froze, her eyes widening as much as they could. She heard Mercedes upstairs; She'd slumped to the floor behind the kitchen counter, and was breathing in heavily from being scared. Rachel knew after a moment she would calm down; Mercedes wasn't scared of Finn.

_Crap crap crap crap crap- Please go away. PLEASE go away…?_ she begged silently. She stayed frozen halfway up the staircase, hoping he would go away. After a moment she thought he was gone, and went to hurry upstairs. She got up another two steps before another knock sounded, louder then the first time. _DAMMIT… okay, okay okay… I can handle this… Just reach into my pocket..._ Slowly, she pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket, and flipped it open.

_On second thought, I might need to take you up on that offer… How fast can you get over here? - RB. _She pressed send, and very slowly, turned her head to look out the corner of her eyes.

From where she stood she could see the top of his head from the small, half-circle window that adorned the wall above the door. It was most definitely Finn; Nobody else in town was six feet tall with short, spiky brown hair the color of dark chocolate. She quickly turned her head back to the front. She couldn't just run up the stairs; He's right outside, he'd hear her footsteps. Her phone buzzed, and she looked down at the screen.

_Be there in less then five. I'll come in the back door. - SE. _Relief washed over Rachel, and she looked up the stairway.

"Mercedes!" she hissed quietly. She could hear sounds come from upstairs, before Mercedes poked her head around the corner of the counter.

"Yeah?" she whispered back.

"Go unlock the back door, Sam's on his way over. Be quiet, okay?" she replied. Mercedes gave her a worried expression.

"Tell him to hurry," she whispered back, before her head ducked around the counter again. Rachel remained frozen in place as Mercedes snuck over to the back door and unlocked the bolt as silently as she could, praying that Finn wouldn't hear her. To both her relief and panic, Finn pounded once again on the door just as Mercedes unlocked the back door. Rachel jumped, and turned to look at the door again. Finn was peering through the windows above the door, and their eyes met for a millisecond, before Rachel jumped again. She sighed, trying to think of a plan.

_I can't just leave now - He knows I'm here and he knows that I know he's here… _She looked at the door. _Sam should be here soon… Maybe I can just hold Finn off until he gets here… _She steeled her nerves, and stood up from where she was kneeling on the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and walked down to the door. She could hear Mercedes protesting behind her, but she opened the door anyways. She felt the cold night air against her bare legs, and immediately folded her arms against her stomach, shivering. She looked up at the towering quarterback, who seemed to be awestruck, with a cold, emotionless expression.

"What are you doing here, Finn?" she asked, her voice cold. Finn stood there for a moment before he spoke.

"I- I need to talk to you," he replied after a moment. Rachel didn't move as he peered inside. "Can I come in? It's kinda cold out."

"Well, considering that you just gave one of my best friends a black eye? No. No you can't talk to me, and No you can't come in," she said as she moved to slam the door. Finn pushed against it, trying to convince her to let him in.

"Wait, Rachel, PLEASE - Just hear me out," he begged, trying to keep the door open. She stopped fighting him and swung the door open again. She could feel the heat rushing to her face and the hot tears pour down her cheeks. She knew she probably had big puffy eyes and she probably looked pretty upset now. Hopefully, she could use that to her advantage. He stood up straight again as she cussed him out.

"Why are you here?" she spat. He stood there, taken aback from her sudden anger. When he didn't answer, she continued. "WHY? Are you TRYING to hurt me again? To cause more pain? Because it's working. You don't think I noticed those looks you give me when I sang yesterday?" she asked him. His face went pale. She didn't give him a chance to speak. She took a deep breath and felt more tears stream her face. "I'm trying to move on. I'm trying to recover from the damage you did to me. I'm trying to get over you, and Sam has been there for me, every step of the way. He's been supportive and trusting and protective, and everything I could ask for." Finn looked torn, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. "Go home, Finn. You're not my protector anymore." She shut the door, locking it again. _Why does this stuff always happen to me? _she thought to herself as she stood there for a moment. She finally let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, and relaxed.

"Hey," a voice said. She whirled around to face the person standing behind her.

Sam stood patiently in front of her. Rachel was tense with surprise, and he held his hands out in a gesture to calm her. Rachel relaxed, inhaling his familiar scent, and threw her arms around him in a hug. He hugged her back, and they stood there for a moment as Rachel sobbed quietly. Mercedes watched from the top of the stairs as Sam gently whispered in her ear as he tried to soothe her. "It's okay now, he's gone. It's alright," he whispered as he rubbed his hand along her back comfortingly. Rachel felt weak with relief with him here; It was funny how quickly she felt relieved that he was in the room. His whispers were slowly calming her down, bringing her heartbeat back down to a normal tempo and pacing her breathing; She was safe now.

**A/N: The song Sam used in his assignment is Broken by Lifehouse.**

**Hope you guys liked the chapter!**


	6. Mayday! Mayday! We're goin' down!

**CHAPTER 5**

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile! I got swept up in reading an old FanFic that I'd seen a LOONG time ago. Sorry about that! Anyways, just letting you know: I love your reviews! I wish I could figure out a better way to thank you guys then just releasing a chapter every two days or so… You guys may or may not know it, but you are kinda AWESOME!**

**Anyhow - The last chapter, as you may know, focused on the tension between the three - Sam, Finn and Rachel. It also gave some insight onto Sam's feelings developing for Rachel. **

**This Chapter is going to focus on the developments of both Rachel and Sam's feelings. hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 4**

_Rachel_

"You gonna get up?"

Mercedes shook Rachels' arm as she spoke. She was sprawled out on the couch downstairs, her hair falling into her face and her leg hanging off the couch. Almost immediately, Rachel jolted awake.

"Mmm… Morning," she mumbled with her cheek pressed against the couch. Mercedes chuckled, and started cleaning up the popcorn that was scattering the table. Rachel sat up from where she was lying, and stretched luxuriously before sweeping the hair out of her face. She couldn't remember what had happened last night apart from the movie and the manicures. Mercedes looked over at her. "How are you feeling? You had a pretty rough night," she asked. A look of confusion swept over Rachels' face for a moment, before everything came back to her in one massive jolt of shock. She jumped in her spot.

"Oh my god… Sam, the black eye… Finn at my door… Dammit…" she muttered. She started looking through the stuff on the table. "Where's my phone?"

"Chill out for a sec, okay? You just woke up, and you're already freaking' out," she replied. Rachel found her phone and flipped it open; 1 New text message. She pressed Read and looked at the screen:

_Lemme know if you need me for anything. Monday's going to be interesting so brace yourself. - SE. _Rachel sighed in relief; He's okay._ For now._ She flopped back down on the couch.

_Sam_

_Why does this stuff always happen to me?_

Sam was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, examining the black eye he got last night. It was bruising in a dark red color - no purple or black yet. Shrugging, he took the tube of Arnica cream that Quinn had given him the last time he got a black eye. Almost immediately the memories came rushing up and he clenched his free hand into a fist, his knuckled turning white. _Stop thinking about her, moron._ Sighing, he smoothed some of the ointment over the bruising, wincing a little bit as he felt it kick in. _Don't let her get in your head again, dammit._ He put the tube away and walked back into his room, sighing as he flopped down on his bed. He could feel the memories welling up inside him of Quinn, and squeezed his eyes shut in resistance. He felt his breath pick up in a moment of panic. _Okay, chill out, think of something else, think of something else, think of something- _He relaxed as different memories clouded his mind, and unconsciously, a smile spread over his face. They weren't memories of Quinn; They were memories of the times with Rachel.

He didn't know when exactly his emotions went from being her friend to resisting the urge to kiss her. He had no idea when he started falling for her; All he knew is that he suddenly felt a lot more then friendliness towards the tiny brunette he'd grown closer to. _When will I learn to stop falling for the wrong girls, I wonder?_ he thought to himself. He knew Rachel still harboured feelings for the tall, lanky quarterback who'd turned up at his house last night. He could tell from the way Finn's actions had affected her when he came to her place last night.

~Queue flashback~

Sam parked his car on the road behind Rachels' corner-block house. He was grateful for the fact that the house was surrounded on three sides by road so he wouldn't have to park farther away to avoid the ex-boyfriend banging on the ground-level front door. He hopped out of his truck and ran over to her backyard fence. Since the yard was encircled in evergreen trees, the fence was only a short, green wire picket fence, and he jumped over it easily. He looked over towards the front of the house, making sure that Finn hadn't heard his approach. At first he couldn't hear anything but then his ears tuned in to the sound of voices coming from the lower floor entrance. _Dammit, she's confronting him. _He snuck up to the back door and knocked as lightly as he could on the window pane next to it. Almost immediately, the knob turned and the door creaked open slowly. Sam saw Mercedes poke her head out, and sighed in relief.

"What's going on?" he asked in a whisper as he took his shoes off to silence his approach and came in the house as quietly as he could, crouching down so Finn wouldn't see his head over the counter. Mercedes looked up at him with worry in her eyes.

"She opened the door and started talking to him, I tried to stop her, but-" she cut herself off in haste. Sam raised a finger to his mouth, motioning her to be quiet when he heard some commotion from downstairs. He put his shoes down at the door, and he slowly snuck around the counter, tuning into what they were saying.

"PLEASE - Just hear me out," Finn was protesting. Sam cautiously looked around the corner to see what was happening. Rachel and Finn were wrestling against the door, Finn trying to barge his way in. Sam's hands clenched into knuckles again. But to his surprise, Rachel swung the door open again.

"Why are you here?" she spat at him. Sam watched in contempt as Finn was taken aback. When he didn't answer, she continued. "WHY? Are you TRYING to hurt me again? To cause more pain? Because it's working. You don't think I noticed those looks you give me when I sang yesterday?" she asked him. His face went pale. _Burn! _Sam thought, smugness washing over him. If he knew Rachel, she would always have some new one-liner to completely beat the crap out of the person she was arguing with.

She took a deep breath, and he heard the clear hitch in her breath. _Wait - Is she crying?_ His question was answered with her next reply. "I'm trying to move on. I'm trying to recover from the damage you did to me. I'm trying to get over you, and Sam has been there for me, every step of the way. He's been supportive and trusting and protective, and everything I could ask for." She was most definitely crying. _I need to get down there… But Hudson could try again and I don't want to risk getting her injured. _Finn looked torn, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. He saw the visible distress Rachel was in and felt the desperate need to help her, but he stood where he was. "Go home, Finn. You're not my protector anymore." She shut the door, locking it again. _Now,_ Sam thought, and silently made his way down the stairway until his was standing behind a motionless Rachel. He hesitated a moment, unaware of what her reaction would be like. When she exhaled, he decided she was probably in shock.

"Hey," he murmured to her quietly. She immediately spun around, looking at him with shock and momentary fear. When she saw it was him, she took two steps forward and threw her arms around him. Sam was surprised; He thought she would've said something, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. The knowledge that she was safe in his arms was one of the best feelings in the world for Sam at the moment. He felt her tears seep into his shirt, but he didn't move. His hand rubbed her back soothingly, and he whispered soft, calming words in her ear. Mostly things like 'It's alright,' 'he won't hurt you now' 'I've got you', and etc. But after awhile, he started humming the notes to _Chasing Cars_ by Snow Patrol in her ear. He knew it was one of Rachels' favourite songs, seeing as they'd always listen to it at least three times out of five that they were driving to school. He felt her body relax against his, and eventually, she was leaning into him with most of her weight. After about three minutes or so, He pulled back to look at Rachel. She had eyeliner running down her face and her eyes were still red.

"I'm pretty sure 'Are you Okay?' is a bad question right now, am I right?" He asked her. She smiled faintly, and he pulled up a corner of his mouth. She was still leaning heavily on his arms, so he decided against walking her to Mercedes or somewhere to sit. Leaning down, her braced the back of her knees against his arm and lifted her into his arms, bridal-style.

"No- No," she whimpered faintly, trying to protest, but Sam cut her off.

"It's okay, relax," he murmured, and Mercedes, who was standing next to him now, led him into the basement, turning the lights on as she walked by the doorway. Sam carried Rachel over to the couch propped in the corner, and lay her down as gently as he could. She was already dozing off into a deep sleep, so she didn't respond to him pulling away. Sam stood up straight again and glanced at Mercedes, who was sitting on the other couch.

"It's quite interesting how quickly she relaxes if you're here," she chuckled quietly, staring at Rachel's sleeping form. Sam chuckled, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.

"Yeah. I guess when you spend enough time being there for someone you just fall into a routine," he agreed, then mentally smacked himself._ Great, you walked right into this. You're speaking to Mercedes, for crying out loud. Her and Kurt practically have radars for tension between people,_ he yelled at himself. He was already prepared for what Mercedes replied with.

"Kind of like Boyfriend and Girlfriend," she smirked, giving him a questioning look. He felt the heat rush to his face and coughed slightly to cover it up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Right, like I'm supposed to believe that," she chuckled. "There is WAY to much chemistry between you two for it to be 'Just friends' and you know it," she added. Sam rolled his eyes, covering up the obvious embarrassment.

"Whatever you say," he smiled, raising his hands in defeat. "Anyways, I'm gonna go. You have everything under control here. I'll see you guys on Monday," he said, and Mercedes nodded, the still-questioning look on her face.

"Alright then. See ya," she murmured as Sam walked out of the basement room and out the back door again.

~End Flashback~

Sam sighed again; This was a complete mess. He was almost dead certain that Rachel and him would never be a couple.

_Rachel_

"So does anybody have anything to say?"

Rachel sat in Glee on Monday with a look of exhaustion on her face. She'd woken up at five in the morning from a nightmare in a cold sweat and panting like she'd run a mile, and feeling like as if she didn't get to sleep at all. The fact that the nightmare had been her running to stop Finn from beating Sam up again, was another thing entirely; Today she could see the glares Finn had been giving Sam, who was sitting next to her with his hand on her knee.

Everything was blurry right at the moment for Rachel; She wasn't exactly focused on the task at hand. But when Finn stood up from the back row, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. _What's he doing?_

"Mr. Schue, I have something I want to sing, if that's okay," he sake the teacher. Mr. Schue nodded, and let Finn take the floor.

"Oh boy, here we go," Sam whispered into her ear. She chuckled once.

"He's probably gonna sing Miserable at Best or something like that," she muttered, and Sam laughed. Little did they know that Finn WAS doing a song from Mayday parade; Just not Miserable at best… So when the drums started up with the guitars in a full rock song, Rachel sat up in her seat;_ Why the hell is he doing this song?_ Finn was looking her dead in the eyes when he sang.

_"The words are coming I feel terrible,_

_Is it Typical, for us to act like this?_

_Am I just another scene from a movie that you've seen_

_100 times?_

_Cause baby you weren't the first or the last or the worst,_

_and I've gotta fill the blanks in this past with a verse_

_And we could sit around and cry, but frankly you're not worth it, anymore…_

_So say hello to the boys at the top of this table that you're under,_

_Lipstick lullabies,_

_This is sorry for the last time,_

_And baby I understand that you're making new friends, this is how you get by,_

_The moral this time is,_

_Girls make boys cry and die…"_

Rachel and Sam were sitting dead silent and unmoving, the expressions on their face mixtures of anger, pain, and shock. Most of the Glee club followed suit with them.

_"On any other day would shoot the boy,_

_but your simple toy, had coursed a scene like this_

_Leave him hanging on the walls, Just a picture in the hall, like 100 more,_

_(100 more)_

_Consider this as a gift as you taste him on your lips_

_And he's making you scream with his hands on your hips,_

_I hope he's leaving you empty baby this is just a fix_

_For such a simple, little,_

_Whore…"_

"FINN! That's enough!" Mr. Schue snapped, and the band stopped playing. The entire Glee club was staring at him in astonishment. Rachel was numb; did that really just happen? _Did he really just call me a whore?_ She got up from where she was sitting, and walked out of the room. She couldn't be in there right now. She just… Couldn't.

_Sam_

"What the HELL was that for?" Sam hissed as he got up and stood face-to-face with the quarterback who had just called his best friend a whore. "For the last friggan time, We aren't dating!" he spat. Finn had this pissed look on his face and Mr. Schue stepped between them.

"Finn. Figgins' office. NOW," he growled, and Finn looked down at the teacher in protest.

"It was just a song-"

"NOW!" Mr. Schue snapped, and Finn stepped back. Fury was radiating off him in waves, but he left anyways. The room was awkwardly silent. Everyone seemed to be staring at him, expecting him to kick a chair over or something. Instead, he walked out and went after Rachel.

_Rachel_

Rachel burst out of the front doors of the school. She could feel the heat flushing her face as she fought back the tears. She took a seat on the stairs and buried her face in her knees for a moment. She couldn't believe what had just happened; She knew he'd be upset, but to call her a _whore…?_ Totally unexpected. She looked up, and after a moment she composed her face. No tears had fallen. _So far._ She looked out over the parking lot of McKinley high. The rain clouds were just covering the sky, but no rain was falling. _The Calm before the Storm,_ Rachel thought to herself. A few minutes passed as she sat there in silence. She was trying to think of how Finn came to the conclusion that she was a whore. She'd only dated three people in the entire time she'd known him; Puck, Jesse, and himself. So why would he call her a whore? Why would he want to hurt her anymore?

She heard the doors open behind her. A familiar set of footsteps walked up behind her; _Sam._ She looked up at him after a long moment of silence. "Hey," she murmured hoarsely.

"Hey," he replied. They remained there in silence for an awkward moment, before he sat down next to her. "You okay to go back yet?" he asked, carefully avoiding the question she thought was pointless.

"Not yet," she replied. He nodded, taking her hand in his supportingly. She took a deep breath in, shutting her eyes for a moment. A sense of dizziness came over her for a split second, and she steadied herself mentally. "Do you ever ask yourself why life's so unfair?" she asked him. she kept her eyes shut, but she could feel his gaze turn to her.

"Yeah…" he murmured quietly. They remained there for a moment, just sitting there with their hands entwined. After a few seconds, she felt hot tears pour over her face as she started to release her emotions. She took in a ragged breath, and she felt Sam untangle his hand from hers and wrap his arms around her. She remained there amount, her eyes streaming tears and her face buried in Sams' shoulder. She felt relief wash through her body, calming her down. Only now had she realized how much safer and relieved she was when she was in his arms. She could hear his breath, feel his chest rise and fall against hers; She could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. Only now, did she realize how close they really were. Only now did she understand why people thought they were dating.

Only now, did she realize how much she really cared for him. Only now did she have that moment where her feelings for him changed perspectives. She realized how perfectly their hands went together, how contorting it was to look into his deep blue eyes… _Am I seriously falling for him?_

"Why the _Hell_ does this always happen to me?" she sobbed. Sam rubbed his hand sailing her back, trying to calm her down.

"I don't know, Rach… I don't know." He held her there as she calmed down and composed herself.

_Sam_

He sat there with Rachel for what seemed like an eternity; He didn't complain, though. He was more then relieved that she was - yet again - safe in his arms. He felt the warmth spread through his body as he held her.

_What the hell was Hudson thinking? _He pondered; He remembered the urge he got in the choir room to beat the co-captain of the Glee club senseless, the sense of overpowering fury that erupted in him. He finally decided to not let Finn anywhere near her again. It would be pretty easy; They had almost every class together, and the couple they didn't have together, Finn was with him - So he silently vowed to himself not to let her get hurt by him again.

"Say the word and I'll beat him senseless," he murmured to her after a long bout of silence. She pulled away and looked him in the eye.

"I can't do that, Sam… I know I hate him and I want him to die, but I can't get you suspended… It'll be hell for me here," she replied. The tone of her voice almost made Sam zone out in awe; She's so beautiful…

"I don't know how you do it… How you put up with the stuff they do…" he muttered. She rand a hand over his cheek, caressing his jaw, and Sam found himself trying to concentrate on what she said.

"I remind myself that somewhere, somehow, something made them the way they are. Something happened to make them the way they are, and they're probably just as damaged as I am," she whispered. He looked into her brown eyes and mirrored her action, caressing her face with his hand.

"You are honestly one of the most forgiving people I know," he replied, smiling. She smiled back and Sam felt like melting. He stood up and extended a hand to her.

"You ready?" he asked. She nodded, and took his hand. He hauled her to her feet, and they started towards the doors. But before they went inside, he grabbed her in another bear hug. "You are not a whore, no matter what Hudson says," he murmured as he rested his head on her shoulder. He let her go, and she looked up at him with gratefulness in her eyes. He opened the door for her and they returned to Glee club.

**So, I know it took me FOREVER to upload this, but I hope it made up for it. Interesting twist with Finn's reaction to the event from last chapter, eh? **

**Anyways, I've decided something. I uploaded what… 4 Chapters before this one? okay. I'll post another three, then take a few days rest like I did with this one. Sound good?**

**The song Finn used in Glee was **_**When I get home You're So Dead **_**by **_**Mayday Parade**_**, if anyone was wondering!**

**Also, I'm always open to suggestions! Inbox me a message with your suggestion as to what could happen, I'd love to hear your opinions! I like to hear my readers' voices on my work. Thanks again for the great reviews!**

**Silver**


	7. You Don't Get To Call Me A Whore!

**CHAPTER 6**

**A/N: Okay, I know the uploading process has slowed down sufficiently, but don't take that as a reason to stop reviewing! I love your reviews, and it was kinda sad to only get a couple for the last chapter! Reviews = Epic chapters!**

**Anyways, in the last few days, I've spent some time exploring the other FanFics on this site for EvanBerry, and I've got some insight on what I could do for them now. Hope you guys enjoy this one!**

**Also - I came back from spring break yesterday, so the updating regimen is probably going to be something similar to what it is now for awhile. At least until I get back on track with school. If not, I'm on a lucky streak and my teachers are epic. I'll keep updating regularly, but if I can't find the time, I'll slow the updates to maybe once or twice a week or so. Hope you guys don't mind!**

**So, here it is. Chapter 6 - It's a game changer, so it's pretty interesting.**

**Silver**

**CHAPTER 6**

_Rachel_

Rachel walked to her locker the next day, relieved that the day was over. She'd kept her composure throughout the rest of the day yesterday and all throughout today. But secretly, the lyrics to the song Finn performed were haunting her, turning her into a panicky mess on the inside. Inhaling a shaky breath, she reached into her locker and grabbed the textbooks and homework she'd need for home. _Thank god, this day is over._ She looked at the door of her locker, her eyes wandering over the images she'd taped there. Black, purple, and green skull stickers had been stuck in various places, and three photos donned the surface. One was a funny little fox cartoon, another was a photo of her dads, and the last was one of her and Sam sprawled out on the kitchen floor, covered in flour and eggshells, laughing hysterically. She smiled slightly at the photo, her thoughts trailing back to the day where they had attempted to bake a cake for Sam's sisters' birthday and ended up in an all-out food war. She sighed, and continued putting everything away and packing her bag. She was just about to close her locker when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her from behind in a gentle hug. She smiled.

"Hey," she murmured. Sam chuckled as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey yourself," he replied, and Rachel smiled. After Glee yesterday, Rachel had managed to keep herself composed until she got home. She'd been there all of 6 minutes, before she placed a hysterical call to Sam and he was showing up at her door ten minutes later with a bag full of junk food and cheesy horror movies. He'd stayed there with her until she'd fallen asleep, something Rachel had been very grateful for. "How are you doing?" he asked her after a moment. She sighed, wrestling free of his grasp and shutting her locker. She picked up her bag and began walking towards the exit, with Sam next to her.

"I'm better, but… Yeah… I was pretty surprised with Finn's reaction… I totally expected him to be all 'Give me a second chance, I miss you, take me back' and shit. Calling me a whore, was something I had NOT expected," she replied quietly. Sam gave a sympathetic smirk and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You want me to come over again?" he asked. "I'll get the snacks," he added. She laughed quietly.

"Yeah, sure. But just a heads up - Puck will be over later, his mom's working and he's dropping off some plates we left at his house last week," she said. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, that's fine with me. So how close are you and Puck?" he teased. She rolled her eyes and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Our families have been really close since we were in diapers. We just didn't know it 'till we brought the same baby picture to that stupid Grade 8 baby photo contest," she explained. "He's kinda like a big brother."

"Aha," he murmured, nodding slowly. "So if I do anything stupid, I answer to him," he said. Rachel laughed.

"Probably," she replied. He laughed, and he lead her over to his truck.

_Sam_

A few hours later, Sam was sprawled out over Rachels' couch, watching the menu screen for Silent Hill replay continuously, while Rachel made nachos in the kitchen. His thoughts trailed back to the night before, and he smiled slightly.

~Queue Flashback~

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, FRED?" Will Smiths' voice blared from the TV. Sam was sitting on Rachels' couch, leaning against the corner with his feet up on the coffee table. Rachel was snuggled in between him and the couch, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her shoulders. She had dried tear streaks on her face and her hair was slightly mussed. Sam wasn't really paying attention to the movie; His gaze was locked on the top of Rachels' head, watching her. He found himself noticing the even tempo of her breathing, and the way she balled up her hand in a fist with the thumb tucked in, holding it like it was injured. The smell of apples and pomegranates wafted fro her hair. _Or is that her perfume?_ he wondered. She looked so peaceful; Her arms tucked into her stomach neatly, her hands resting on her knees balled up in fists, her shiny eyes focused on the screen; Sam thought she looked absolutely breathtaking. _Dammit, Sam. Why do you fall for the wrong girls? Why?_ he smacked himself mentally, and pulled his gaze away from Rachel and back to the TV. He had to stop doing that; It already hurt keeping his feelings bottled up like this, staring at her would only make it worse. He stared at the screen absentmindedly. He was trying to distract himself from the tiny figure curled up next to him on the couch. All his efforts went out the window when he felt her head bow down. He looked at her; Her breathing was slow and even, her body leaning against him like a deadweight. _She's asleep,_ he thought. He reached for the TV remote and turned the sound off. Very cautiously, he slid out from underneath Rachel and lay her down on the couch; she didn't even protest. _Today must've been exhausting,_ he realized. He crouched down and gathered her in his arms, picking her up bridal-style. Her head rested on his chest, and he was sure the rapid beating of his heart would wake her. But nothing happened, so he sighed in relief. He turned and slowly made his way up the stairs and to her bedroom. He walked over to the bohemian-styled bed in the middle of the room and gently placed her on the bed. She squirmed in her sleep, adjusting herself to be comfier. Smirking, he pulled the covers over her and tucked her in. He checked his phone; 11:45 PM. _Shit, I should get moving…_ He bent down to gaze at Rachel one last time before he left. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he took off. All the way home, a starstruck, smiling expression was plastered on his face. _Okay, so I fall for the wrong girls. S'not like I can do anything about it._

~End Flashback~

Sam smiled to himself again; The image of Rachel asleep against his shoulder was burned into the back of his mind; his favourite memory of her thus far. He looked up from the TV screen when Rachel walked back into the living room with a large platter of nachos. He grinned.

"Finally, I'm starving!" he joked, and she laughed as she took a seat next to him. He dug into the nachos and looked up at the screen, where the movie had begun to play. "So what are you going to do about Finn?" he asked after a moment. She gave a solemn half-smirk.

"I dunno, really. I mean, what CAN I do? He called me a whore. How can I come back from that?" she asked.

"You're not a whore," he murmured. She turned to look at him and smile softly.

"I know… But seriously, How does someone come back from that?" she asked. Sam thought for a moment. It shouldn't bee too hard to convince an idiot like Finn that Rachel wasn't a whore. All she had to do was use logic.

"Well, what's the definition of a whore?" he asked smugly. Rachel raised an eyebrow in confusion. He took this as means to continue. "Find the definition of a whore. Explain it to Finn and ask him how that relates to you and then bitch him out when he can't connect it to you. Should be pretty easy, the guy is an oaf, he probably doesn't know how to spell undisputed payback," he explained. Rachel looked at him with wide eyes.

"Wow… That might work…"

"And people call me dumb," Sam snorted. Rachel chuckled.

"People don't call you dumb, Sam. Hell, if you can figure out how to deal with Finn and I can't, then you're pretty damn smart," she replied.

"Yep. S-M-R-T," he said, spelling out the letters. Rachel laughed, and tossed a nacho at him.

"Funny," she murmured, before settling onto the couch and leaning back to rest her back on Sam's chest, her eyes returning to the TV. Sam was certain she would feel his heart pounding, but she didn't seem to notice. _Jeez, Sam. Get yourself together, man. She's just getting comfy._ He rested his arm against the back of the couch, drumming his fingers in anticipation.

He doesn't know what happened next. They were commenting on the movie, then Sam said something about Finn being a prissy and probably not being able to watch this movie, and then the next thing he knew, his lips were pressed against Rachels'. It started slow, but it quickly melted into a more aggressive, rougher make-out session, tongue included. He flipped her underneath him, so he was overtop of her. Her hands roamed over his chest, and he slid one hand along the side of her ribcage while his other hand was tangled in her hair. _How the hell did this happen again?_ he asked himself mentally, but he ignored it when one of Rachels' legs wrapped itself around his waist. _Holy crap. This is going REALLY fast._ When breathing became necessary, they broke apart. He looked at her from where she was lying underneath them. Something passed between them; a moment of awkward 'I shouldn't have done that' and the next thing he knew, he'd scrambled off the couch and ran out the front door. _Shit, shit shit shit SHIT… Way to go, dumbass! You just messed everything up!_ He hopped in his truck and sped off for home.

_Rachel_

_Oh my god… That just happened, didn't it?_

One moment, she was staring into Sam's eyes as he was lying on top of her with one hand on the underside of her thigh and the other tangled in her hair, and the next moment, the front door was slamming shut and Sam was running away from her house. She sat up on the couch, her hair tousled and messy. _What… What was that? What does this mean?_ she asked herself. Her fingers trailed over her lips in shock. She watched out the window as the old red chevy pushed its' max speed as it sped out of the driveway. _Oh no… What have I done?_

The sound of Rachels' alarm clock woke her up the next morning. Groaning, she slid her legs off the bed and pulled herself into a sitting position. Her hands rested on her knees, and she leaned forward, leaning onto them for support. _Time to deal with this,_ she thought glumly. She got up and changed into a tight fitting, mid-thigh black elastic/bandage mini-skirt, and an off-the-shoulder, loose fitting cream/white singlet with a bunny in a top hat on the front. She walked over to her vanity and took the long, silver-chained metal skull pendant off the hook and placed it around her neck, along with several silver bangles on her left wrist. Satisfied, she turned and grabbed a pair of over-the-knee length, black leather boots with a sturdy high heel, and straightened her hair before grabbing her stuff and walking downstairs. Her dad was up, pouring the coffee.

"Morning, hon," he murmured. She set her backpack down next to the counter and slumped into a chair at the counter.

"Morning," she replied. He looked up.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded quickly; She didn't need to bring her parents into what happened with Sam.

"Yeah, just tired… I stayed up late last night with homework," she lied, grateful for her years of acting experience. Her dad just nodded and went into his office. The house was silent again, and the gears started moving in Rachels' mind. _I need a plan - I need to know what I should do about all of this…_ she stated silently. She remembered what Sam had said before the entire make-out thing, about how to get back at Finn. _Maybe I should do that… Maybe I should tell Finn off._ Her eyes noticed something propped up against the staircase, and her breath hitched. It was Sam's backpack; He'd left it behind when he was running from the house. _Shit… I messed this up, didn't I? This shouldn't have happened… _She sighed. _Maybe it's for the better good that this happened… I can't depend on anyone like I've been depending on him… It just makes it that much harder when they leave._ Grabbing an apple from the counter, she grabbed her bag and walked to the front door. She grabbed her keys off the hook and turned to look at Sams' backpack. _It's just a bag full of stuff, Rachel. Why are you feeling so weird about this?_ She bent down and picked it up, then left the house. She walked off the deck and down the set of stairs to her car. Opening the door, she tossed Sams' bag on the passenger seat and put her own in the backseat. She hopped in and pulled out of the driveway, on her way to school. The ride was silent; Rachel was still making her plan in her mind. Before long, she pulled into the school parking lot. Memories of the snowball ambush coursed into her mind and she struggled to maintain a level head. She parked the car and sat there in the drivers' seat for a moment. _Okay, Rachel. Here we go. Nothing to be scared about, you do this everyday…_ she thought to herself. _Except today you're up against your Ex-boyfriend and the best friend who ran out of your house yesterday after you made out with him. No big deal, right?_ She sighed, and got out of the car, bringing her bag and Sams' with her. She could already feel the dread bubbling up inside of her. What she was doing could change _Everything._ She shook the thoughts, kept her mind blank.

_This is for the best_. _For both of us..._

_Sam_

"Dude! You okay?"

Artie's voice broke Sams' train of thought. He looked up. The wheelchair-bound football player was looking at him with a confused look. Sam exhaled slowly. _Eh, 'the hell with it._

"I dunno, man. I dunno."

"What's up? Is this about Quinn?" Sam clenched his fist; Quinn was one small thing on his lists of worries and problems compared to Rachel.

"No, it's not Quinn…" he mumbled. _Stop moping, dumbass. _"If I told you something, would you promise not to tell anyone else?" he asked Artie.

"So long as it won't scar me for life," he replied, a small smirk on his face. Sam chuckled.

"Nah…" he trailed off. There was silence for a moment before he spoke again. "I kissed Rachel. I kissed her, and I messed everything up. And now, I'm trying to think of a way I can get through school without her."

"Who says you'll have to do it without her?" he replied. Sam smirked sarcastically.

"It's not like she'll be totally fine with it. She was just called a whore by her ex-boyfriend who she's still got feelings for. You really think she'd be willing for anything other than friendship?" he asked, partially to himself. Artie patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, but you're her best friend. She'd be a wreck without you. Maybe that's all it will take for you guys to be cool," he murmured. "'Sides, She kissed back, didn't she?" he added jokingly. Sam contemplated what he'd said; It was true, both ways… Before they'd started hanging out, Rachel had been pretty upset with her life. She'd told him herself that apart from Kurt, she really didn't have anyone. He'd been there for her through her transition from full-throttle-aspiring-broadway-star to Damaged-and-longing-to-feel-normal-and-wanted-rocker-chick. And he's fairly certain she'd kissed him back… Maybe Artie was right.

"Yeah, maybe…" he mumbled. Realizing what time it was, he got up from where he was sitting on the floor. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later, alright? Thanks, Artie," he said, before taking off down the hall. He needed to get this over with before he blew his brains out from thinking too much.

_Rachel_

_Okay, breathe in. You're ready for this._

She shut her locker and walked towards the towering quarterback who was talking to Quinn. She had to get this out; she at least owed this to Sam. He'd be in pain over what she'd decided to do.

"Finn!" she called. He turned to look at her, and his eyes turned cold.

"What do you want, Rachel?" he asked in an emotionless voice. Quinn saw what was about to go down and quickly took off.

"You and I need to talk. That song - The message was that you think I'm a whore, am I right?" she asked him. She saw something change in his eyes, but she said nothing. He nodded.

"Yeah. Because It's true, and you really are a whore," he replied in a smug voice. She hadn't planned to do what she did next; It just happened. Rachels' open palm connected with his cheek in a lightning quick, stinging smack. He stared at her with wide, incredulous eyes. "What the hell, Rach? What was that for?" he complained.

"DO NOT CALL ME RACH!" she snapped. The students in the hallway had gone dead silent and were watching them with shocked eyes. Rachel couldn't care less; All she wanted to do was get this out.

"Whoa, Jeez, calm down-" she cut him off.

"The definition of a whore is a promiscuous woman. A prostitute; A woman who performs sexual favours for money. How in HELL did you relate that to me! Please, enlighten me! Because the entire time we were together, if you so much a tried to grab my ass I would tell you off. So HOW THE HELL can you call me a whore?" she shouted at him. She was supposed to have kept her cool for this, but she couldn't hold back on this… It was too much. Murmurs swept through the crowd, commenting on her rant. Finn just looked took another deep breath before she turned a pair of blazing brown eyes on him, all the fury she'd been holding back coming to the surface. "You don't get to call me a whore! When I met you, I thought I'd found the person of my dreams, the person I'd be happy with for a long time. I WAS DONE! All the boys and the issues - I WAS DONE. You, left ME. You chose QUINN. You broke me. And I'm all Glued back together now. I make NO apologies for how I chose to repair what YOU broke. YOU DON'T GET TO CALL ME A WHORE." And with that, she turned around and shoved her way through the crowd and to her first class. On her way, she passed a wide-eyed, distraught looking Sam Evans. She stopped, still on her adrenaline high from ripping into Finn in front of everyone. "And What the HELL are you looking at?" she snapped, before she continued walking.

_Sam_

It was official; Things would never be the same again between him and Rachel. Too much had happened for them to move on. He watched her walk away, and for a moment he was certain he heard her start crying. But he stopped himself from running after her; He knew all too well that their friendship was either gone, or that it wasn't a friendship and it was something more. Something that she was scared of. His stomach twisted into an uneasy knot and he felt sick to his stomach when he came to a terrifying realization.

He'd lost her.

**A/N: Welllll, See what I meant by 'Game Changer'? **

**Hope you liked this chapter! Rachel's "You don't get to call me a whore" Speech was taken from Grey's Anatomy in Season two, and I do not own anything from Grey's Anatomy either.**

**Don't forget to Review! The button's right below, don't be afraid to click it! I love hearing your opinions and suggestions! And if you don't have anything nice to say then shut up! XD**

**I'll upload the next chapter probably sometime later this week, so enjoy!**

_**Silver***_


	8. Tennessee Lines

**CHAPTER 7**

**A/N: Hey guys! Great reviews! I liked the suggestions you guys gave me - So Finn's POV WILL be included in this chapter! And I'm sorry I didn't upload earlier! I think I'll stick to the once-a-week updates, I hope you don't mind...**

**Okay, So the issue between Sam and Rachel will stay for awhile; I want to build the tension and advance the drama in the plot line before we get rid of it. But don't worry; This is a DEFINITE EvanBerry Endgame. no buts.**

**The suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed, you can inbox me or write a Review, either way - it works. **

**So, I hope you guys like the chapter; I've SERIOUSLY gotta stop writing these in class, but I can't help it sometimes… I just get massive Brainstorms in the middle of stuff and start writing. Then I spend the rest of the making up for the time I lost, heheh. Bad regimen! Anyways this chapter is short, but it's FILLED with cliffhangers that will be explained in the next chapter. Have fun!**

**The songs used in this chapter are:**

**All you did was save my life - Our Lady Peace (Finn's Ringtone)**

**Tennessee Line - Daughtry (Song Sam sings in the car)**

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER 7**

_Sam_

"Alright, so your assignment this week is to find a song to sing to someone else in the class. It can be to anybody, and about anything. It just has to be about someone else. Anybody have something to add?" Mr. Schue asked the class. Sam was slumped in his seat and staring at the floor in a numb daze. It'd been a week since the event that completely screwed up his friendship with Rachel, and he was pretty messed up. There were points where he would just sit and stare at the wall. His mind would alternate between numb absence and trying to figure out how to fix things with her. He hadn't realized that it wasn't just Rachel needing him; Over time, he'd begun to need her too. _Great, NOW I realize this. NOW, and not before I made out with her. Fantastic timing, Sam, Fantastic_. He looked across the room at Rachel. She was sitting on the other end of the room, staring off in the distance with a pained look on her face. Guilt twisted the already painful knot in his stomach, and he grimaced when he saw what he'd done to her. _I've GOT to fix this… I NEED to._ An idea popped into his head as the bell rang, marking the end of school. He grabbed his bag and ran out of the room, making his way to the parking lot as fast as he could. When he got there, he scanned the lot for the shiny black honda he knew only too well. When he spotted it, he made his way over to it. He dropped his bag on the ground in front of the car and leaned against the hood, waiting for her to come out. _I just need to get this out before I die of angst,_ he muttered silently. He scanned the sea of people walking into the parking lot, looking for the familiar figure. _There she is, _he said as he heard a pair of heels walking towards him. She came out from behind one of the black SUV's nearby, and as soon as she spotted him she stopped. Sams' breath caught too; She was completely covered from head to toe in blue and purple slush. He stood up abruptly and made his way over to her, his bag completely forgotten. She took a step back.

"Sam, Don't-" she started. He reached her and put a finger on her lips gently.

"Nuh uh, You're not avoiding me anymore. C'mon," he said, and led her back to the school and into the boys locker room. There wasn't any football practice today and the Janitor had let them by to get her cleaned up. Nobody would be able to interrupt them here, and he was glad for that. He need to talk to her, alone. Nobody could cut in this time. He sat her down on a chair next to the sink, and she leaned her head back, giving up on trying to argue with him. He began washing the slush out of her hair gently, untangling any snags or knots in the process. Rachel was wiping her face clean with another towel, but Sam could tell there were tears mixed in with the slush; her uneven breathing gave it away. When he finished washing her hair, she got up and walked over to one of the bathroom stalls with her spare set of clothes. He sat on the bench outside while she changed. He had most of what he was going to say plotted out, and he was hoping that he could pull this off. She stepped out of the stall again, wearing a pair of ratty grey sweatpants, a black tank top, and a coral pink hoodie. Her hair had been pulled back and held up with a large clamp clip, and a few loose strands framed her face. Sam caught his breath yet again; She looked amazing right now, even if she wasn't dressed like she normally was. He stood up. _Now or never…_ He walked over to where she was standing in front of the mirror, standing behind her. she looked up in the mirror and saw him, and let out a long sigh.

"Sam, just don't," she murmured. He looked down for a moment.

"Why not?" he asked her. She turned around to look at him. "Because we can't do this," she murmured. "We can't go back to just being friends… Not now. And I can't be with you, I just… I can't. Not after Finn, not after everything that's happened. If I get involved with another one of Quinn's exes, Not only will she kill me, but how will I know that they won't do exactly what Finn did to me - Go back to her. It meant so much to me that Finn chose me over her, and when he got back together with her, it killed me. It took a piece of me away. I never want to feel that way again. I may never come back from that," she murmured quietly. Sam looked up and stared her down.

"I'd never do that to you. Never," he whispered. He saw a tear go down her cheek, and he instinctively raised his arms to hug her. But she stepped back once.

"I know that… But I… I can't," she replied, her voice quivering. He felt the searing panic raise in him.

"Please, Rach- Don't do this," he pleaded. She shook her head, the tears streaming freely now.

"I'm sorry, Sam. We can't do this," she cried, grabbing her bag and running out, sobbing. Sam stood there as the cold, silent numb feeling returned.

_Finn_

Why does this stuff always happen to him?

He sat in silence on the bleachers, watching over the empty football field. Everytime he thought he would get over _Her,_ he gets pulled in again. Why was that? Was it because he didn't like the idea of Rachel moving on and dating someone else? Or was it because she kept doing that thing… The one where she totally lights up like a fireball on stage and makes his heart melt? Anger surged up inside of him; _What the hell is Evans doing with her anyways? It's not like she'd be into a geek like him… _Sighing, he got up and walked out of the stadium. _I know I have Quinn and all, but It's like everytime I finally get happy, she goes off and does what she does and I'm head over heels again. Flippin' BRILLIANT, Finn. You think you'e fine without her and then BAM, you need her again and she's unavailable. Dammit. _ He walked to his car and drove out of the school parking lot, no specific destination in mind.

_Rachel_

_ What is wrong with me?_

When she'd returned home, she'd been soaking wet; Lima's weather network sucked at predicting storms, and she was stuck in one. Her car had stalled on the drive home and she had to phone Kurt to come help her. Her car was being repaired at her dad's garage, and Kurt had given her a ride home, but the rain was so intense that she'd been soaked through-and-through simply running to her front door! Now, she sat on her bed in a pair of ratty old sweats and a black tank top, her hair pulled back in a messy high-pony and still dripping water; She stared blankly at her door, unresponsive to the sounds of the branches scratching her window pane outside while the wind howled and rain practically came down like a tsunami. She was jolted from her unresponsive state when a bolt of lightning struck just outside her window, and her house was plunged into darkness. She yelped in shock; Her dads were out of town for the week at a conference, and she'd been left alone. It was rare for her dads to be gone longer then two weeks, but she was used to the occasional week here and there. Grabbing her phone off her nightstand, she used the screens' light to go into her bathroom and grab a few candles. When she finished illuminating the candles, she looked back at her phone. _Kurt said he was at Mercedes… Brittany can't drive, Artie's out of the question… Tina's probably with Mike… I can't phone Sam… _She thought for a moment; There was only one other person she could really call. Even if he lived on the other side of town and went to a different school now, He'd sworn he'd be there for her. _No… It would be too awkward… _she thought. Another bolt of lighting struck, and she jumped. Giving up, she scrolled through her phone's contacts until she got the right number. _Here goes nothing…_ she hit "Call" and waited. The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end, deep and smooth, answered. Rachel swallowed before she replied.

"Matt? It's Rachel."

_Finn_

_"I'm not dying - All you did was get me through, I owe every breath to you-" _Finn's phone blasted his ringtone from where it was lying in the passenger seat of his car. He jumped a bit, but grabbed it and picked up nonetheless.

"Yeah?" he said into the phone.

_"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" _Pucks voice asked him from the other end of the conversation, and confusion swept over Finn.

"Sorry, wha-" he was cut off.

_"I drove by, saw your car parked outside Rachels' place. What the hell are you doing?" _he asked. _Shit._ Puck had seen him; now he'd never hear the end of it.

"Look, I can't talk right now, okay? I'll see you later," he said. He pulled the phone away from his ear and heard Puck protesting on the other side, but he pressed _End_ and threw the phone into the passenger seat again. Truth is, he'd been driving around when he'd seen a hooded figure walking up the steps to her place. He watched, waiting to see if he'd have to jump out and stop the guy. But Rachel had thrown herself into his arms when she opened the door, and the hood fell off. The man underneath had slightly darker skin and a shaved head; His ears poked out a bit, and Finn swore he could've seen him somewhere before. He hadn't managed to get a good look at the guy, so he'd sat there wondering for awhile. Eventually he found himself sitting out in his car waiting for Rachel, even if that sounded sick. He just - He needed to be near her, to know she was safe. He smacked his forehead. _Dammit, Finn, get your act in gear. _And Idea popped into his head, and he looked up with one of those why-didn't-I-think-of-it-before looks on his face. Grinning smugly, he started his car again and took off for home. _There's no way this plan can't work,_ he thought to himself, and floored the gas.

_Sam_

"Hey Evans!"

Sam heard Mike calling him as he walked out of class the day after the massive storm yesterday. He stopped, and waited for him to catch up to him. He'd come up with a plan for what to do about Rachel and his feelings while he was in LA, and part of it would have to include talking to Mike.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sam replied.

"Aren't you coming to glee today?" he asked, confused. Sam shook his head, before taking a deep breath.

"Nah. Hey, listen. I need to ask you something," he explained. Mike's eyes were confused and concerned, but he nodded.

"What is it?" he replied, walking with Sam to his truck. When they got there, Sam stopped.

"I need you to take care of Rachel for me," he murmured. Mike looked even more confused.

"Why? Can't you?" he asked. Sam shook his head, and sighed.

"I need to leave town for awhile; You know, just to clear my head. Too much is going on right now, and it's really hard to be around her everyday and not talk to her or hang out with her," he explained. "I can't ask Puck because Lauren would kill him, I don't want to burden Artie, and I'd rather DIE before I asked Finn to take care of her," he added. By the time he'd finished, Mike's eyes were wide with surprise and worry.

"Yeah, I'll take care of her. But… Where will you go?" he asked. Sam had thought about that for a long time; He knew he had to go SOMEWHERE, so he'd decided he would go and help his grandparents at their horse ranch in Tennessee. He remembered going there as a kid and having a blast, and he figured it would be good to see his grandparents.

"I'm staying with my Grandparents in Tennessee, just - Don't tell anyone, I don't want to cause a bunch of rumors. I'll be gone a month, tops," he replied. Mike looked torn; He wanted to help his friend, but he wished he didn't have to go. Sam felt guilt well up inside of him for burdening his friend with this secret. But Mike nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah, man. I'll keep her safe. Just… Be careful, and keep in touch, 'Kay?" he asked. Sam nodded, and patted his best friend on the shoulder.

"Take care Mike. And Thanks for doing this," he murmured, before he got in his truck, started the ignition, and took off. After an hour of driving, he was on the highway heading south. _I know I'm going to hurt her by doing this, but I can't stay there right now. Not when it hurts this much. Not when she's there, and I can't just grab her and- No, I won't think about that. It's too painful. _He looked over at his passenger seat, where she used to sit when they took the weekend to drive around the open countrysides. He sighed, before turning his gaze back to the road. As he drove, the lyrics to a song popped into his head, and he began singing to himself. "On my way to LA, Looking into the rearview, As the roads fade away… Sworn off my past - the First and last bad call that I ever made… And Tell me how to make right, Every wrong turn that I've learned, so this can all end tonight… Tennessee Line - Just changed my mind… Well it's my heart I'll follow, this time…" he sung softly, before silence filled the cab of his truck again.

**OOOOH, suspense! Tell me what you think- What does Finn's plan entail? How are things going to be now that Matt's back in the picture? How will Rachel react to Sam's departure? **

**Let me know what comes to your mind when you read this! Reviews are very much welcomed!**

**xoxo,**

_**Silver***_


	9. Empty Space In My Heart  Part I

**CHAPTER 8**

**AN: BOO! :D So who else absolutely LOVED the Glee episode yesterday? I swear, I'll never look at Quinn the same way again! That twist TOTALLY threw me off. Anyways, I know in the summary it said "Pezberry friendship" Well I'm gonna change that to Faberrittana friendship - I couldn't resist, alright? So yeah.**

**I got some reviews asking who Matt is - If you haven't watched Season 1, you wouldn't know. Matt was the third football player to join in the episode "Preggers" along with Mike Chang and Puck. He transferred at the end of the year, therefore prompting New Directions to get new recruits by singing "Empire State of Mind" Remember? Look up Dijon Talton on google images, you'll see him with the glee cast, trust me.**

**Anyways, enjoy this one, it'll be REALLY long, so it's going to be cut in two parts. The next one's already being plotted out in the back of my head, so It might get up earlier too!**

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER 8**

_Rachel_

~Flashback~

As the heard the knock on the door outside, she vaulted off her bed and down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. _Relax, Rachel. Breathe in._ She steeled her nerves, and opened the door.

The man that stood in front of her was taller than the last time she'd seen him. His broad shoulders were covered in a black zip-up hoodie and the hood was pulled over his shaved head. He held his hands out in a give-me-a-hug kind of manner, and Rachel threw her arms around his broad shoulders, relief washing over her as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, hugging her back. They broke apart after a moment, looking at each other with the infamous it's-so-good-to-see-you-and-it's-been-way-too-long-since-we've-talked expressions on their faces.

"C'mon, it's pouring out!" she greeted him, and he laughed. She let him in the house and he removed the hood from over his head. Matt still looked the same as he did the last time she'd seen him over summer break. Mind you, she'd grown up with him, so she couldn't really tell the difference apart from the height. Matt's parents were very close friends of Rachels' dads, and Matt and Rachel - Along with Matt's younger brother Teegan - had known each other since they'd been in diapers. They were like family to each other; they would always choose each other over someone else, and if one was in trouble, the other one would step in and defend them. That was how it was, and how it had always been.

Rachel led him into the living room, and they sat on the couch. Matt looked around her house, smiling to himself.

"It's been WAY too long since I've been here," he commented, and she agreed.

"You should come over more often, I haven't seen Teegan in god knows how long," she replied, and he chuckled.

"Lucky. His hair's grown out so much that he looks like one of the guys in LMFAO," he muttered, and she laughed. He looked over at her. "So you want to tell me what I ran across town to get here for?" he asked her after a moment. Her smile faltered a bit, and she smirked solemnly.

"It's a long story…" she mumbled, but nonetheless, began the long process of explaining what happened to Matt, including Finn calling her a whore and Quinn being suspended. When she was finished, she slumped back against the couch, closing her eyes for a moment. Matt was speechless for a while.

"Wow…" he murmured after a long silence. She shrugged half-heartedly.

"See what I mean by 'I'm Screwed'?" she asked him, and he chuckled.

"Well what can I do to help?" he asked her. She sighed.

"I Don't know, that's the problem," she murmured. "I can't talk to Sam because it's weird between us, and I'm sure as hell NOT going anywhere near Finn, but what if he tries something?" she asked to no one in particular. Matt sat there for a moment, his eyes deep in thought.

"You need someone to keep you safe," he murmured. She chuckled darkly.

"Yeah - Me, who knows three types of self-defence, who runs faster than Puck when he's about to get the shit beaten outta him by an angry dad, and can kick YOUR ass. Right," she laughed, and Matt smirked.

"Alright, alright, true enough," he gave in, smiling. His phone buzzed, and he read the text. "Hey, I gotta go. Mom wants me home to deal with Teegan," he murmured as he got up from where he was sitting on the couch. Rachel stood up too, and grabbed Matt in a hug before she pulled back a bit.

"Promise me we'll stay in touch, okay? no more growing distant like we've been doing," she stated. He nodded, and smiled.

"Promise." With a kiss on the cheek, Mat left her house and made his way home. On the walk back, he pulled out his phone and dialled a number he hadn't used in a long time. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Matt?" the voice on the other end said in confusion.

"Mike, hey. I need you to do me a favour."

~End Flashback~

Rachel sighed, looking up at her bedroom ceiling. She was sprawled out on her bed, dressed in her PJ's at 7 in the evening on a Wednesday night, and felt a tear streak her face when she thought of the last time she'd seen Sam, earlier today in the locker room. The look on his face, the pain in his eyes - it broke her heart and sent a gut-wrenching sense of guilt rushing through her body everytime. She knew that it would be better for both of them if they weren't together, but it killed her everytime she saw his broad-shouldered, blonde figure walk down the hallways with his head hung low and his gaze aimed to the floor. The hot tears poured over the sides of her face even more as she lay there. But she wouldn't let herself regret her decision. _It's over; I can't go back now._ Her breathing became ragged again, and she rolled onto her side, clutching her pillow to her stomach and began to sob quietly. _Oh, Sam… I'm so sorry…_

_Finn_

Finn sat at his desk in his room, a notepad in front of him filled with scribbled notes. He looked them over, thinking. _I don't think anyone in glee club has any relatives south of Ohio, maybe that's the best direction to go,_ he murmured. He jotted that down on the page, and then pondered for another moment. _How long… Hrmm… If I plan this right, I could go for a week… But we'd need changes of clothes,_ he thought. Then he realized he could fix that, and smiled smugly. _Okay, plan. You go into action on Friday, as soon as school ends. _He took the notepad and shoved it into the farthest corner of the desk drawer and covered it in other papers, making certain it was completely hidden; He didn't want anyone finding it if they snooped into his room. He smiled smugly, as he shut the drawer. _I personally can't wait,_ he added to his last thought, before he changed into his PJ's, and went to bed.

_Rachel_

Rachels' thickly framed, chocolate brown eyes opened slowly the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock going off. She found herself curled in a ball with her pillow clutched to her stomach, the tear stains on the pillow evident. _I must've fallen asleep crying,_ she thought, as she stiffly rolled out of bed and walked into her bathroom and hopped into the shower. When she got out, she checked her phone. She had three missed texts; One from Matt, one from Kurt, and the third, to her surprise, from Mike.. She flipped her phone open and read all three:

[Kurt] - Hey Diva! Just checking in on you, I saw the disappointed look on your face when Sam wasn't at glee yesterday. I'm here to talk, you know that right?

[Matt] - Don't let them get you down, Rach - you know they have bread for brains, right?

[Mike] - Hey, you need a ride to school? Tina said you had a rough day yesterday, and you're house is on our way.

She half-smiled softly, and then replied quickly to all three texts while putting together her outfit for the day.

[To Kurt] - Thanks, Kurt. I'll be alright, just give it time. I'll see you at school, kk?

[To Matt] - Right, so if I shot one of them in the head would they die? haha nice try though

[To Mike] - Thanks, Mike, that's really thoughtful. What time do you think you'll be here?

She put her phone on her bed and quickly went to change into a long, fitted dark purple racerback tank top with lighter purple tiger stripes, dark blue skinny jeans, and a small, cropped leather jacket, with a pair of black leather ankle booties. She did her hair into loose, uneven, messy curls that sort of looked like bed-head, and then put a large, oval-shaped amethyst pendant around her neck. When she picked up her phone, Mike had replied.

[Mike] - How does 7:45 sound? We were thinking of grabbing something at starbucks on the way, so we figured leaving early would be a good idea :P

She replied back telling him that 7:45 would be fine, before she did her makeup and walked downstairs. The house was still empty apart from her - Her parents wouldn't be home for another five days. She fixed herself some breakfast while she thought about her problems. Sam was obviously the biggest conflict for her at the moment, and her mind would seldom leave him for long. She looked down for a moment. _Maybe I was wrong… Maybe I should have given us a shot… All I know is that it's way to painful without him with me right now,_ she sighed. She hadn't realized who long she'd been like that because a moment later, a knock sounded on the door and through the curtain covering the window, she could see Mike's lithe, muscular form.

"I'll be right there!" she called, as she leaped up the stairs to grab her bag. She stuffed her phone in the pocket on the outside of her bag and then opened the front door in a huff. "Hi, sorry about that. Let's go," she smiled. Mike smirked, knowing she'd probably zoned out.

"No problem, We better go - Tina's in the car," he replied, and they made their way to his car. Rachel slid into the back seat, setting her bag down next to her and poking Tina's shoulder from behind her seat. Tina turned to look at her, a playful scowl on her face.

"Hey, Thanks for your concern about me, Tina," she murmured, and Tina smiled back warmly.

"No problem, we haven't talked much since this Finn debacle, and I figured you could use a friend," she murmured, and Rachel chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I see what you mean there," she replied, and Tina chuckled. They pulled into the school parking lot and got out of the car. As Rachel looked around, she spotted Kurt leaning against the chainlink fence, waiting for someone. She smiled, said goodbye to Mike and Tina, and walked over to him. He turned to look at her as she approached and smiled.

"How're you doing, Diva?" he asked her as she hugged him.

"Been better," she smirked smugly, and he walked with her to their first class.

School went by in a blur for Rachel, just like it always seemed to do. As she walked to her locker to put her books away for Lunch, she felt a presence next to her. She whirled and found herself face-to-face with Quinn. Sighing, she gave her the what-now look.

"Yes, Quinn?" she asked as she put her book in her locker.

"We need to talk," she murmured to her quietly. Rachel turned to look at her and food a look of distress in her eyes. She narrowed my eyes in confusion, before a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Surprised enough, she followed the hand up to the being and found it to be Mike. She gave him the classic Why-are-you-defending-me look, and he smirked.

"You looked like you needed saving," he avoided the truth. Rachel had a radar for lying, so it didn't work.

"Nice try. Why are you being so nice? It can't be a coincidence that you not only give me a ride to school and save me from Quinn but that you also went postal on Azimio for throwing my textbook in the garbage bin. What the hell are you up to?" she asked in a very Holly Holliday-like manner. He turned to look at her, with a troubled look on his face. She narrowed her eyes again. "What did Puck do?" she asked, assuming he'd done SOMETHING to Mike. He chuckled.

"No, not Mike. Look, I don't even know if I should tell you this or not. But I promised Sam I would protect you, alright?" he said. That confused her even more.

"Why would Sam ask you to protect me?" she asked him, but he was already walking down the hall and he didn't answer back. She stood there alone in the hallways, with a look of utter confusion spread over her face.

By the Time Glee rolled around, Rachel was more then dead-set on asking Sam why he asked Mike to protect her. Though as she walked into the choir room, she found he wasn't there, to her dismay. She pondered why he wouldn't be here as she followed Kurt to a seat next to Mercedes. She stared at the floor with a blank, depressed mind until the entire club was there and Mr. Schue was sitting on a stool in froth of the class. What he said felt like a shard of ice had stabbed Rachel's gut, and someone was twisting it slowly.

"Guys, Figgins spoke to me today before class. Sam is taking a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time," he announced. She gasped, and found herself gripping the edge of her seat with one hand as tight as she could. A hand rested on her shoulder and she turned to see Puck looking straight ahead with an i'm-gonna-kill-that-jerk look on his face. Rachel put her hand on his, squeezing it once and giving him a you-better-not-try-anything-stupid look, before looking at the others in disbelief. Mike was looking down at the floor with the same guilty, troubled look on his face as before. Almost immediately, she understands what he's upset about. _HE KNEW! He knew and he didn't say anything?_ Rachel felt the fury rise up inside her, but she quickly shut it off as Mr. Schue continued his announcement. "His parents signed the forms and ensured us that he would keep his grades up, but he's not going to be back for awhile. Now," he murmured, "Your assignment this week was to find a song to sing to someone else in the class. Who's going to present first?" he asked. Rachel groaned, letting her head fall back to stare at the ceiling in reluctance. She half-lisened to most of their performances, not paying much attention. But when Quinn stepped forward, and she remembered the odd look in Quinn's eyes from before, she became intrigued; Quinn had the same look on her face as before when the music began. Rachel noticed some disgusted looks in the crowd, others were more resentful, but she was more intrigued and curious than resentful. Quinn turned for the briefest moment and looked at Rachel, before she began singing.

_It's a big girl world now_ _Full of big girl things_ _And everyday I wish I was small_ _I've been counting on nothing_ _But he keeps giving me his word_ _And I am tired of hearing myself speak_ _Do you ever get weary?_ _Do you ever get weak?_ _How do you dream_ _When you can't fall asleep?_

What nobody else noticed was that she was looking at Rachel. Not Finn, not Puck, but _Her._ That alone confused Rachel more.

_I'm so afraid… _

_Of what you'll say,_

_I'd like to know if you'd be open, to starting…_

_Over from scratch,_

_I'd like to know if you'd be open, to giving me,_

_A, second chance…_

Rachel stared back at her, as the confusion slowly melted into wonder. _She could have sang to anyone, but why me? and why is she asking for a second chance? _Rachel kept the confused look on her face up until the end of the song, when people applauded awkwardly. Quinn looked down and sat back in her seat on the other side of the room. Rachel was confused and upset; She had no idea what was going on. _aye I should go next… Singing always makes me feel better._ She stood from her seat and walked down to the front of the room. After discussing something with the Pianist and the guitarists, she walked back and took her place standing still in the middle of the room. The music started, soft and slow. She looked up at the ceiling slightly as she began to sing.

_We built a tall, tall tower… towards the sun, towards the sun took some words and built a wall and called it love, called it love… And somewhere in all the talking, the meaning faded out… _

Rachels' eyes were shining in unshed tears. She'd chosen this song for Sam; She needed him to know that she regretted what had happened, and that she wished it could go back. _But it can't, because I screwed this up so badly…_ she thought to herself. She started the chorus then, and her voice was saturated with the pain she was in.

_Oh I wonder when did it all stop making sense I don't understand I remember we were so sure, so innocent o but that was then can we ever go back again? can we ever go back again? _

She could see the looks on the glee clubs' faces; Artie had some sort of understanding, solemn look on his face, Tina was looking sympathetically at her, as were Mercedes and Mike, and Kurt had a knowing, sad look on his face. Almost every one of their faces were sympathetic and sad. Well, _Almost_ everyone. Finns' expression was one of growing annoyance, anger and jealousy. She shrugged it off, and finished the song.

_Can we ever go back, again?_

_Can we ever go back…?_

Almost immediately the glee club stood up and started applauding. Right after that, people began to come down to hug her and give her their sympathy and support. Much to her surprise, Quinn stepped down to see her.

"I never got the chance to tell you what I needed to before at lunch," she whispered quietly as she hugged Rachel. "Would we be able to talk sometime soon?" she asked. As they pulled apart, Rachel nodded. Quinn smiled softly, before she turned back to her seat and everyone began packing up.

_Finn._

Dammit. She still cared for Sam, after he left her? seriously?

Finn paced his room anxiously. A black duffel bag was packed and sitting on his bed for the plan tomorrow; he didn't know when he'd next see home. Suddenly he realized something, and stopped pacing. A Smug grin covered his face.

_Sam's gone. That means he can't stop me, and there's one less thing to steer clear of._

He then proceeded to do a little happy dance.

_Rachel_

"Berry, MOVE!"

Santana's voice rang out through the crowded hallways in panic. Rachel was standing at her locker Friday morning, staring off into space. So when Rachel looked up in surprise, wondering why Santana was calling her, it was only just in time to dip to the side and avoid the haphazard blueberry slushy being thrown in her face. It missed most of her, only managing to get a bit on her arm, and in a split second decision she decided not to slip into the adrenaline fuelled shock that made her heart race as the football players tried to throw another one. Instead, she fought back. In a lightning-quick, totally unexpected sweep, she managed to punch Azimio in the face with as much force as she could. Surprised, Azimio staggered backward. Before he had time to react, she jumped up and slammed her heel into his stomach, kicking him backwards against the other side of the hall and slamming him into the lockers. Azimio, Dazed and winded, slumped to the ground like a boneless body. She could tell she probably looked like a crazy-woman, but she couldn't help it right now. She set her foot down and took a deep breath, before she looked at the other Football players challengingly. They took one look at her and turned tail, fleeing down the hallway. The entire school seemed dead silent right at this moment. Ignoring the stares that were glued to her, she turned around and grabbed her books from her locker, shut the door, and started walking to her first class. As she walked, she felt an arm link with her on either side. She turned to see Santana on one side and Brittany on the other. They were just walking with her; they said nothing, but you could see the look of determination on Santana's face as they deeked to the side and into an empty classroom. She turned to look at the two ex-cheerios who had pulled her to the side in confusion.

"Why did you warn me?" she asked, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. Santana smirked.

"Because you didn't deserve it, Berry. Just because Trouty mouth isn't here doesn't give Azimio the right to slushy you. 'Sides, that outfit is just TOO good to get ruined," she murmured. Rachel dropped her jaw in shock.

"Wha?" she stuttered. Britt smiled.

"She means that your outfit's amazing and that she's sorry, right San?" she asked Santana. Santana nodded again.

"Right, what she said. Look, I saw the look on your face when you heard about Sam leaving. It was one of those panic and heartbroken looks that you only ever see on someone who's actually the innocent victim. You're scared shitless because you don't know if you'll see Sam again anytime soon. I wondered why that was for a long time. And then I realized that he was the only person who understood what you've been going through with Finn. And then I realized that you've been through hell and back, and that I was responsible for part of that. So I'm here to say I'm sorry for what I've done to you. For calling you Man-hands, and making fun of you and everything. You're actually a pretty neat person from what Puckerman tells me," she murmured. Rachel found herself nodding in an astonished, subdued shock.

(this will be continued in a second part, hopefully updated tomorrow! It's a super long chapter, so it's two parts long!)

_**Silver***_


	10. Empty Space In My Heart  Part II

**CHAPTER 7**

**AN: So did you guys like the first part of the chapter? xD**

**Anyways, massive cliffhanger at the end of this part! I've also decided to make Chapter 9 into a trilogy, so it'll probably be a bit confusing. Sorry! but enjoy this chapter, because after the trilogy, I'm thinking of taking a week or two off to plot out the next move in the story.**

**I totally forgot to add what time of year this is set in… At the beginning of this story, it's set just before christmas break, so in December. Now it's about late January, early february.**

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER 7 - PART II**

_Rachel_

A week has passed since Santana and Brittany had apologized at become acquaintances with Rachel. Now, they were inseparable. Passerby's on the weekends assumed they'd known each other for years, they were so close. Rachel had not expected it in the least, but now that she knew how similar Santana was to her these days, she embraced it.

She sat in Glee club on Thursday before the long weekend. There was no school tomorrow, so she'd planned a shopping trip with Britt and San. The rest of the club milled around, making plans for the weekend. As Mr. Schue walked in, the noise died down. Mr. Schue started handing out sheet music.

"Alright, I want to know what you guys think about using this song for Nationals," he explained, as they read over the sheets. "Rachel, I want you to take lead vocals for this, Finn, let's make you take the other lead," he mused. Rachel sighed.

"Do I have to be the lead singer in every song, seriously? Why not let Mercedes or Tina or even Quinn take the lead," she whined. The entire club slowly turned their heads to look at her like she was crazy. She stared at them, confused. "What?" she asked, challenging anyone to question her reasons. They all looked away and began fidgeting with something quietly. Mr Schue shrugged.

"Alright then… Mercedes, You're taking the lead," he said. As they went over the different lines of the song, Rachel found herself completely oblivious that someone had never taken their gaze off of her - and it wasn't Finn for once. The bell rang and everyone began to shuffle their way out of the choir room. Rachel kneeled down and collected her stuff, packing it neatly into her bag. As she turned around and got up, she nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. Artie had silently come up behind her as she was packing her things.

"Oh my g- Artie! You scared me there!" she laughed quietly when she realized who it was. He smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it," he replied. "Sit with me for a moment?" he asked, gesturing to the chair Rachel had been sitting on in practice. Rachel hid the surprise from her face; Artie and her had seldom talked before now. She nodded, and took her seat.

"What is it?" she asked, curious. He set the break on his wheels, and then rested his hands in his lap.

"I spoke with Sam a few days ago," he began. Rachels' curious grin vanished, and a glazed expression replaced it. Of course he'd told someone about what happened between them; She'd half expected him to tell Mike, though.

"Oh," was all she said. Artie smiled sympathetically.

"I know you're probably going through a lot right now - Sam's gone, and he gave you no notice whatsoever, didn't he?" he murmured. She looked up at him from where her head had sunk into her hands. He had a look of understanding and sympathy on his face, and for once, Rachel was still confused. "I'm guessing you wish you had a chance to say goodbye, too," he added, and she nodded slowly.

"Yeah… But- why are you pointing that out?" she asked him. He took her hand in his and looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm going to say something I probably shouldn't, and give you closure. I wanted to let you know that Sam was… He was really sorry he messed things up between you two. Partly because he'd burdened you with more drama, and partly because you mean a lot to him and he didn't want to hurt you." by the time he'd finished speaking, tears were running down her face and she had bowed her head again. Artie released her hand and moved his to rub her shoulder supportingly. They stayed there in the half-lit choir room for a long moment.

"I miss him so much…" she gasped through her sobs. "When he left, i-it felt like he- he was trying to remove me from his-s life…"

"Rachel, he does want you in his life. He left because he couldn't deal with being around you and not being able to talk to you. He really, really cares about you, I don't think that's going to change." A question arose in Rachels' mind. She looked up at the chair-bound boy in front of her.

"Why did you do this for me, Artie?" she asked him, wiping the tears off her cheek with a quick swipe of a thumb. He smiled again.

"Because I know you've been through a lot recently with Finn and I know you need someone to talk to - especially since Sam left… And because you deserved some closure; Finn never gave you anything to make you feel a little better about what happened between you two, he just left a gaping wound and expected you to deal with it on your own," he explained, and Rachel smiled.

"Thank you… You're right, he just left me bleeding… What you told me? It _Did_ give me closure… I'm still hurting from it because he didn't say goodbye, but I know he's sorry that he hurt me," she murmured. Artie nodded, agreeing with her statement. Rachel stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride home." Artie smiled again, and she chuckled.

"I'd like that, thanks."

Rachel grabbed the handles on the back of his chair and pushed him towards the parking lot, neither of them noticing the large figure of Finn hiding behind the choir room door, having heard the entire conversation.

_Finn_

Unbelievable. _She's STILL upset over Sam?_

Finn paced his room angrily. He'd run home immediately after Rachel and Artie had left, too furious to care about who saw him or if he pushed anyone out of the way in his journey home. He yanked the drawer on his desk open and extracted the notepad with his plan written on the pages. He began scribbling furiously, adding on and editing the plan. _I stalled last week because Kurt told me to leave her alone to process. No more stalling. You go into action TOMORROW. _He ripped the pages out of the notebook and folded them into his back pocket. He had a smug smile on his face when he fell asleep, dreaming happy dreams.

_Rachel_

For the first time in the last two weeks, Rachel woke up without bursting into tears. She knew that if anything happened, she had three amazing friends who would take care of her. Getting out of bed, she got changed into a pair of low-rise, dark blue flare jeans. She ruffled through her drawer, looking for her purple halter. "Where the HELL is it…?" she muttered to herself. Sighing in defeat, she put on a grey v-neck with gold, blue, and pink flower outlines on the front in a graphic design, and a long, flowing black vest over the V-neck. A pair of black heeled peep-toe bandage booties and a black/silver owl pendant finished the outfit. As she did her makeup, she began singing softly. "So this is me, swallowing my pride, standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that, night… And I, go back to december all the time. It turns out freedom meant nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had, when you were mine… And I, go back to december, turn around and make it alright… I, go back to december, all the time…" she stopped herself. _Singing sad songs won't make it any better, Rachel. Get your mind off of him today, have fun!_ A knock on the front door below snapped her out of her daze. Running down the stairs, she was surprised to find Quinn on her doorstep. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she met her gaze. "Quinn!" she said, her voice an octave higher. "What's up?" she added quickly. Quinn looked a little amused with Rachels' flustered expression. She smiled softly at Rachel.

"Do you mind if I come in? We need to talk," she murmured. Rachel noticed how relaxed Quinn was; There wasn't a trace of anger in her posture or in her expression, and she actually seemed like she was being kind and honest. Nodding, she stepped aside and let Quinn walk into her home. Rachel led her into the living room and they sat on the sofa.

"So what do we need to talk about?" she asked, confused. Quinn still had a soft smile on her face, and looked over at Rachel.

"I… I wanted to apologize. For attacking you and making a big deal out of what happened with Sam and your new look," she began. Rachel raised her eyebrows in surprise, but nodded to let Quinn continue. "I lost grip on reality for a long time… The truth is that I used to be just like you when I was in Junior High; being picked on regularly, ridiculed for my outfits, insulted for a sport, avoided because I was different; I was once in the same position. And the star sports guy seemed to like me… His name was Ryan. And he led me on, and made me believe we actually had something… Then he broke my heart. My dad transferred districts in his job that summer, and I was going to transfer to McKinley. So I changed myself to be a different person and then I was head cheerleader. I made myself promise I wouldn't lose grip on reality; That I wouldn't cave into the peer pressure and start picking on other people because I knew how it felt. But I lost that grip a long time ago, and I put you through hell. I thought I got my grip back when I was pregnant, but.. I lost it over the summer again. And you have no idea how terrified I was that I'd actually turned into a monster. I saw what Finn did to you with that Mayday Parade song. That was SO cruel, and totally wrong. I would have stopped him had I'd known what he was planning." she shifted to face Rachel. "I'm disgusted with myself for what I did, and I want to try and repair what I broke… If you let me, I'd like to get to know you, and in time, hopefully, become your friend. I'm hoping that by spending time with you, I'll get to keep my hold on reality more securely. So… I'm So, SO sorry for what I did, and if you forgive me, can we be friends?" She'd began to tear up halfway through her speech, and now she looked at Rachel with a pleading, honest-to-god guilty expression. Rachel didn't understand completely, but she knew that Quinn was in pain over what she'd done. In a split-second decision, Rachel leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde ex-cheerio in front of her. They stood there for a few moments, before Rachel spoke up.

"I forgive you, Quinn. It's alright," she murmured, and pulled back to look her in the eyes, her hands still resting on Quinn's shoulders. "And yes, in time, we can grow to be friends… But right now, because this is still fresh and unclear, I need to ask you something. And I know it's going to sound bad, but I don't mean for it to be…" she mumbled. Taking a deep breath and re-aligning her thoughts, she began again. "When you were with Sam, did he ever mention where he'd go if he needed to leave for some reason?" she asked. Quinn smiled softly again.

"I get it, don't worry. You two are friends - Actually, more than friends - and you're in pain over him," she replied kindly, before looking down and concentrating. "Okay… umm… Sorry. I wish I knew, but he never really mentioned a lot about himself. Our relationship was kind of shallow, more about appearance than anything," she explained with a sheepish grin. Rachel nodded, smiling softly.

"Alright, It's okay. I just had to ask," she replied, and Quinn chuckled. Rachel stood up, and gestured towards the kitchen. "Have you eaten?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got ready before I came over here. Actually, speaking of which - I should probably go, I have to meet with Mrs. Dobson about an assignment," she said, and made her way over to the door, Rachel following behind her. She opened the door on her own, and turned to look at Rachel before she left. "I'll see you at school," she murmured, before the door shut and her footsteps faded off her front deck. Rachel sighed, and leaned against the end-post of the stairway railing. _Did that really just happen?_ she wondered, before she returned upstairs to finish getting ready.

School was significantly better today then before. Classes breezed past for Rachel; She had at least one friend in every class, be it Santana or Quinn or Artie or Brittany. When classes ended and she made her way to the choir room, she noticed Finn slip out of the doors at the end of the hallway with a - _Is that a purple duffel bag?_ she wondered, narrowing her eyes as the sunlight cast onto the bag in his hands. She shook it off, and continued to the choir room. She was the second last person in the room, so she took the seat next to Mercedes. Two seats remained, and Rachel felt her heart swell with sorrow when she remembered that only one of them would be filled by the end of this class. _Dammit, Sam…_

Finn strolled into the room then, a smug looking smile on his face and took the seat next to Puck. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his actions, but forgot about it soon after when Mr Schue strolled in and they began rehearsing the song they were planning on singing. Near the end of the class, when they'd decided to stop and a have a few minutes to relax, he asked if anyone had anything to sing. Rachel paused, hanging by a split-second decision. _Should I? _she wondered. _Yeah. I think I should._ She raised her hand, and Mr. Schue pointed to her.

"Yes, Rachel?" he asked, the tone of exasperation he used to use replaced with one of curiosity; Rachel seldom sang much these days in glee.

"I have a song I could perform," she suggested. "It's not the best piece of music I've done, and I've adjusted the lyrics a little bit to fit the situation, but I have the instrumental version on my iPod."

"Sure, have at it!" Mr. Schue replied, intrigued. Rachel rose from her seat and walked over to the large black stereo set on the shelves behind the piano. She plugged her electric purple nano chromatic into the dock and quickly selected the instrumental. She looked up and over to Quinn and Tina. "Could you guys help me with the backup?" she asked them, and they nodded, rising from their seats to stand behind Rachel as the music began playing. A small chorus of gasps came out of the girls who remained seated; Of course they'd recognize the song, but most of them were surprised that Rachel, who'd been hardcore on the alternative rock and metal these days, had chosen this song in particular. Rachel walked up to the mic and took it from the stand as she began to sing.

(_Rachel, _**Tina/Quinn,**_** All**_)

_I'm so glad, you made time to see me,_

_How's life? tell me how's your family,_

_I haven't seen them in awhile…_

_You been good - Busier than ever,_

_Small talk, work and the weather,_

_Your guard is up, and I know why…_

_Because the last time, you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind,_

_You gave me roses, and I left them there, to die…_

_**So this is me swallowing my pride,**_

_**Standing in front of you,**_

_**Saying I'm sorry for that night…**_

_**And I go back to December all the time,**_

_**It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you,**_

_**Wishing I'd realized what I had, when you were mine,**_

_I go back to december, turn around and make it alright…_

_I go back to December all the time…_

She looked at the expressions of the other glee club members. Mercedes, Kurt, Artie, Mike, Puck, Santana and Brittany's faces were solemn and filled with sympathy; Finn looked like he wanted to strangle something. _Don't' give a shit, Finn, not anymore._ She continued her singing.

_These days, I haven't been sleeping'_

_Stayin' up playin' back myself leaving,_

_When your birthday passed, and I didn't call…_

_**Then I think about the last month*, all the beautiful times,**_

_**I watched you laughing from the passenger side,**_

_**and realized I loved you even before…**_

_And then the pain came*, the dark days,_

_**When fear crept into my mind**__,_

_You gave me all your love, and all I gave you was… __**Goodbye**__…_

_**So this is me swallowing my pride,**_

_**Standing in front of you,**_

_**Saying I'm sorry for that night…**_

_**And I go back to December all the time,**_

_**It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you,**_

_**Wishing I'd realized what I had, when you were mine,**_

_I go back to december, turn around and make it alright…_

_I go back to December all the time…_

She had tears streaming her face now, but she didn't hide it. Most of the club already knew about her and Sam anyways. When the song finished, Quinn and Tina stepped forward and grabbed her in a group hug. Rachel wasn't sobbing, but she was gasping for breath. When the bell rang, everyone who remained came up one at a time to give her a hug before they left - Well, not everyone, with the exception of Finn - and Rachel went to gather her things. As she stepped out of the choir room and into the hallway, She heard Mike calling for her as he ran up behind her. She slowed, and stopped, turning to wait for him. When he reached her he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, You shouldn't be alone today. You want me and Tina to come over later, maybe watch a movie?" he asked her. She chuckled sheepishly.

"That'd be great, Mike. Thanks for the idea. I'll text you guys later when I'm ready, okay?" she said, and Mike nodded, before running back down the hall to catch up with Tina, who was heading the other way. Sighing, Rachel walked out of the school and began walking down the stairs. She was near the bottom when something small and heavy shot out and slammed into the side of her foot. She cried out in pain, lifting her foot. "SHIT! What the HELL was that? OW!" she groaned, as she pulled off the black bandage bootie to see her foot. There was a VERY large red mark on her foot, with a smaller greyish indent in the middle. She narrowed her eyes when she realized what it looked like. Her previous experience at Matt's 12th birthday party had proven useful when she recognized exactly what had made the mark._Why the hell is there a BB gun bruise on my foot?_ she wondered. As she put her foot down, the heel of her other boot was shot out from underneath her foot when another pellet shot it. She felt herself lose balance, trying to keep the weight off her foot, and the cold metal handrail for the stairs met the area behind her left ear as she fell. Her head went fuzzy for a moment, rattled by the impact of the handrail, but she kept conscious. Her mind went into hyperfocus as she broke her fall and used her Judo training the stop herself from getting any more injuries. She stopped herself a few stairs down. _Whoa, adrenaline making me dizzy,_ she thought to herself as she gathered herself up and sat on the nearest stair. Her head didn't ache so much - she had a high sustenance for pain because she had to babysit Teegan when she was younger. But the adrenaline that was being pumped through her veins threw her off and she was feeling quite dizzy. She heard someone running down the stairs towards her. _shit, BUSTED._ She looked up and to her unfortunate dismay, Finn looked back down at her, his eyes wide with concern.

"Shit, Rach. Are you okay?" he asked her, and she nodded silently. He took the back of her neck with his open hand, and turned her head gently to see where the railing had connected. She felt even more dizzy and her upper body began to sway a bit. A hand gripped her shoulder, steadying her. "Whoa, easy. I'm going to get you to a doctor," he said, and she nodded numbly, too shocked to protest. Finns' arms slif underneath her and she felt herself being picked up Bridal-style and carried somewhere. The next thing she knew, she was sitting upright on an emergency room bed, an ice-pack on the back of her head and a bandage being wrapped around her elbow where she'd cut it on the pavement. She heard a doctor talking to Finn behind the curtain.

"-Take her home and make sure she gets LOTS of rest. She shouldn't be alone for the next… 48 hours," he was murmuring, and writing something on a notepad. He scribbled his signature and gave it to Finn. "This is a prescription for painkillers. She can't have more than 2 every 4 hours, and she'll be pretty unfocused when she takes them." Finn Nodded, and took the paper from him.

"I'll take care of her, don't worry," he murmured. The doctor rolled his eyes, muttering "Kids these days" under his breath, before walking away. The nurse wrapping her elbow in gauze finished up and she was discharged. Finn handed her a bottle of pills, and she looked up, confused. He smirked. "They're painkillers, the doctor prescribed them," he murmured, and handed her a glass of water. She nodded, still confused, but took one of the pills anyways. A few moments later, everything was fuzzy.

"Buh," she muttered, "It's really fuzzy."

"That's normal, Rach," he murmured. Rachel couldn't even find the anger to be pissed at him for calling her Rach. His arms slid underneath her and he carried her to his car again, laying her down in the backseat.

_Finn._

She was unconscious in a deep sleep minutes later. Finn smiled smugly, looking at her in the rearview. _This couldn't have gone better! The perfect sedation AND the perfect break! _He took the turnoff for the highway, Rachel still fast asleep in the backseat. _Okay now. Kentucky onwards! I think I can make it past the line before anyone notices… _He floored the gas pedal as he hit the highway, the small town of Lima becoming a blimp on the radar behind them.


	11. Open Road  The Trilogy, Part I

**CHAPTER 8 - Open Road -THE TRILOGY**

**AN: So! what did you guys think of Finn's plan? Kinda nasty, don't you think? But boy, it'll be SO fun writing out his demise haha. and LOL! The "Rumors" Episode? When Sam said he was from Tennessee I laughed so hard!(I'm the kinda person who laughs at the worst moments, heheh…) I'd totally guessed that was where he was from and, OH! looky here - I totally got it right! XD and the scenes between Sam and Rachel? OMG! Epicness, I love how she held his hand in the last song… And the promo for the next episode shows them standing side-by-side - It would be AMAZING if they actually did go to prom together!**

**So This chapter is a trilogy, due to it's intense length and rollercoaster-like emotional events. Any suggestions can be PM'd to me and I'll try and work them into the story, as I did with the idea of Finn's POV. **

*************IF YOU IGNORE THE AUTHORS NOTES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY, PLEASE READ BELOW FOR AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE*************

**Hola! It's 2 AM on a Saturday(well technically Sunday)! I'm so exhausted I'm falling asleep typing! AND, *Drumroll* I Might have to put this story on a temporary hiatus!**

**I got hit in the arm with a branch at a birthday party, and I may have fractured my arm (MAY HAVE because I'm not sure; I'm going to the doctors tomorrow morning to find out) and if that's true and I end up in a cast, I won't be able to type very well. SO - Here's what I'll do. If I don't update tomorrow(I'll probably just edit this chapter and add on a note), then I've fractured my wrist and I'll be off writing for awhile :'(. However, If I DO update tomorrow, Then the trilogy will be completed as I planned. UNTIL THEN: Enjoy the first part of the Trilogy!**

**xoxo,**

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER VIII - Part I**

_Rachel_

_Where am I?_

That was the first thing that popped into Rachel's mind when she (painfully) opened her eyes. She was lying stretched out across the backseat of what looked like a silver sedan. The sky outside was bright blue, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The sun pounded down on her and she flinched from the harsh light. _Why does this car seem familiar? _She sat up slowly, and her heart jumped into her throat from the panic coursing through her body. Outside, nothing but golden wheat fields surrounded them, but that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was the 6 foot 5 giant driving the car.

"What the hell?" she asked with a hoarse voice. Finn looked into the rearview at her and smiled his lop-sided grin.

"Oh hey, you're finally up," he stated.

"Finn, where are we, and what the hell's going on?" she demanded, gaining her voice again. Finn sighed, and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He put the car in park and turned it off.

"Go ahead, rant," he murmured. She dropped her jaw in shock, partially offended that he'd assumed she'd go on a rant and partially insulted that he still thought that her new look and attitude was just a phase or a cover-up. In truth, it wasn't; She'd embraced her new style with eagerness and now she couldn't imagine going back to the sweaters. She smacked the back of his head with as much force as she could maneuver in the small sedan.

"WHERE the HELL ARE WE?" she shrieked at him.

"Does it matter, honestly? We're not at school, and we're not in Lima. All our problems are behind us," he said, half-smug that he'd said something that he believed sounded relatively smart.

"Answer my question!" she snapped. He sighed, hitting his head on the headrest behind him.

"Look, I'll explain everything when we stop for gas in a half-hour, okay? but can you just give me a LITTLE more time without you screaming in my ear?" he asked her arrogantly. She was seething, but she sat back into her seat in the back, fastening her seatbelt.

"Start driving, then," she growled, and he started the car again. _Worst day of my LIFE,_ she muttered silently. Finn tossed something into the backseat next to her, making a rattling noise as it landed. Another thing was lobed through the two front seats, and landed next to her. She looked down to see a bottle of white pills and a water bottle.

"They're painkillers, prescribed by the doctor at the hospital. Only take one for every 2 hours," he murmured. She sighed, and opened the case. She took one of the pills and then downed a bit of the water. Almost instantly she began feeling fuzzy, like as if everything was drifting away and she was floating there numbly. She closed her eyes and gave into the exhaustion overcoming her, dozing off into a light sleep.

~Meanwhile~

"B, I don't know what the hell's going on or why you are not answering you god damn phone, but you better call me back!" Santana whined, before pressing 'End' on her phone and flipping it shut. Rachel hadn't been answering her phone all weekend, and It's sunday today."Sorry Britt, she's not answering," She murmured to the blonde sitting next to her on the picnic bench.

"I wonder why she's ignoring her phone, normally she answers on the first ring," Britt wondered to herself. Santana sighed.

"No idea… Maybe her and trouty mouth got back together," she suggested, but Britt shook her head.

"No, he's gone, remember?" she replied, and Santana nodded.

"Right…"

As they discussed Rachels' absence, Mike and Tina walked by the park they were sitting in. When Mike overheard their conversation, he looked over in confusion. Tina was looking confused too. They walked over to the two ex-cheerio's.

"Hey, what were you guys just saying about Rachel?" Mike asked, his eyebrows furrowed together in concern. San looked at him and Tina with a confused yet annoyed look on her face.

"She's not picking up her phone and her house is empty," she replied nonchalantly, but you could hear the worrying concern in her voice. Tina's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That's really unlike her," she murmured, and they all nodded.

"Well is her car at the house?" Mike asked, and Britt thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, it wasn't," she stated, remembering that detail. They were all silent for a moment, before they all flipped open their phones and began phoning people. Mike was already putting a call in to Matt, Santana to Quinn, Britt to Kurt, and Tina to Mercedes. None of them had seen Rachel all weekend. When Mike finally got off the phone with Matt, he sighed.

"Nobody's seen her," he murmured, and they all began worrying. Within minutes, they'd blown up her inbox on her phone with concerned text messages.

_Rachel_

"So, are you going to explain now?" she asked as they sat in a booth at a diner.

Finn sat across from her, looking at a menu. When she spoke to him, he placed the menu down on the table again.

"We needed to talk, and not be around everyone or cause a scene. When we're out in the middle of nowhere with people we don't know, it won't matter," he replied simply. "Besides, this way you can't run away," he added. Rachel looked pissed.

"So you, what - Abducted me?" she asked him, and he put a hand over her mouth to quiet her.

"Keep quiet, dammit, you want the waitress phoning homeland security?" he whisper-snapped, and she glowered at him before he removed his hand. "But yes, I sort of did. Look, I need to talk to you, you need to hear me out, and we both don't want to cause a scene. A Road trip seemed like a good idea," he explained.

"So what, I'm just supposed to go along with this and not freak out about the fact that most of my friends are probably losing their shit wondering where the hell I am?" she asked again.

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied, acting innocent. She sighed, and sunk back into her seat.

"So what do we need to talk about, and why do we have to go all the way into the big open spaces to say it? You could've just taken me to the next town," she murmured.

"Because this way you can't call a cab. And because we need to get this out of our systems, I'm sick and tired of fighting with you, so I acted on impulse and took you somewhere nobody can interrupt and neither of us can run," he sighed, and started toying with his fork. Their food arrived a moment later and they ate in silence. When they were waiting for the bill, she spoke again.

"You're going to explain ALL of this when we get back to your car," she muttered to him, as he payed and they left the building. She chose to remain in the backseat, not trusting his motives, and as they pulled out of the truckstop, she noticed the purple duffel bag she'd seen him carrying out of the school the next day. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was the duffel bag she'd used to house her gym clothes. She'd replaced it a week ago for a bigger bag. _HE PLANNED THIS! _ she exclaimed in her mind. She leaned across the seat almost instinctively, and snatched the bag on the floor. "You packed me a BAG?" she shrieked. Finn flinched in surprise. _BUSTED,_ she thought. "So much for acting on IMPULSE, you jerk! you planned this entire thing out!" she accused him. "And then you lied to me about it. If you want me to listen to you you're going to have to stop lying, you ASS. Got it?" she snapped. She was so close to tears, though she wasn't sure why exactly. It could've been a bunch of things - Fear, stress, trauma, her sense of hopelessness to name a few. She started quietly rummaging through her bag, looking at what he packed. She pulled out a purple piece of clothing. _My Halter! I was looking for this everywhere yesterday…_ She gasped quietly when the bag started vibrating, and she narrowed her eyes. She rummaged down to the bottom of the bag and pulled out her phone. A small smile spread over her face, full of relief. _Oh my god, this guy's an IDIOT! _she thought smugly. _He put my phone in my bag, where I could use it to contact anyone? seriously? wow, this guy FAILS at abducting people,_ she commented as she flipped through the dozens of texts on her phone and missed calls. Suddenly, she had an Idea. Putting her phone in camera mode, she waited until they passed through a small town and a traffic sign was visible with the distances to the next towns; The sign said they'd be in Stanford in 120 km. She snapped the picture discreetly, and immediately sent it to Santana. _If anyone will understand what this means, she will,_ she thought. She added a message to the picture - _San - Find me, Finn's driving, I'll send more pics - Freaking out silently in the backseat here! _- and pressed 'send.'

"Start talking, Frankendouche," she said to Finn. From the rearview mirror, she saw him scowl.

_Sam._

"Sam, Lunch!"

His grandmother Lina's voice rang through the field. Sam looked up from where he was busy brushing the knots out of Domino's(A large black stallion) mane. He'd been here for four days, since Friday. It was late Monday morning, early afternoon, and the idea that Rachel would know he was gone soon felt like someone ripping the skin off his heart. Sighing, he ran the brush through Domino's mane one last time, remembering how Rachels' hair felt when he cleaned the slushy out of it the last time he saw her. _Stop thinking about it, Sam. You come here to get away from her and now you can't stop thinking about her? seriously? messed up._

"Be right there!" he shouted back, as he put the brush back in the box with the other brushes and ran towards the house. He set the box down by the front door and walked in. He kicked off his sneakers and walked towards a cabinet to grab a towel. "Gram, I'll be right back, I'm going to go clean up," he called through the house, and walk to his room. He was just about to go take a shower when his phone started ringing. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. _What the…? Who's calling me? I thought I turned my phone off... _he wondered. He flipped it open, not caring to see the caller ID. "Hello?" he asked, confused.

"_SAM!" _Mike exclaimed in relief on the other end of the phone. _"Thank god, okay, never trust me to take care of anyone EVER again, I suck at it! I'm so sorry, I was just going to grab Tina and then-"_

"Mike, what the hell are you talking about?" Sam asked, cutting him off. "Why are you sorry, and what shouldn't I do ever again?" he added. When Mike talked fast, Mike sounded like a tape on fast-forward.

_"Taking care of someone! I suck at it! Never make me do it again!" he replied, before taking a deep breath. "And I'm sorry because I suck at taking care of someone and that's why this happened."_

_ "_Why _What_ happened?" Sam asked, concern entering his tone along with an impatient anxiousness.Like he'd predicted, what Mike said next made his heart jump into his throat.

_"Rachel's missing. She wasn't at school today, she's not answering her phone, and her car's in the driveway but Santana broke in and she's not there."_

"Oh god… Who was the last person to see her?" he asked as he frantically began running around his room pointlessly.

"_I was. I asked if Tina and I could come over and watch a movie with her - We didn't want her to be alone, Mr. Schue told the Glee club you left," _he explained quickly. Sam sighed, and sat back on his bed.

"Shit… I really didn't want her finding out that way…" he muttered. There was an ominous pause before Mike began speaking again.

_"Look, I know this is totally going to make you piss yourself, or something, but… Finn's missing too."_

The phone slipped away from his ear and out of Sam's hand, landing on his bed with a soft thump. He could hear Mike asking for him, but he just sat there staring at the wall in absolute shock. Nothing around him seemed to matter right now; The sounds surrounding him became muffled, like his own heartbeat blocking them out or he was submerged in water. He could feel his fingers begin to tremble. Eventually, Mike screaming into the phone got him out of his daze and he picked the phone up again.

"Does ANYONE know where they are?" he asked Mike with an edge of desperate pleading in his voice.

_"Rachel sent a text to Santana with a picture of a road sign about five minutes ago, Santana checked it out, it's about mid-way through kentucky. They're heading towards Stanford," _Mike replied quietly. A weak wave of relief washed over him, but didn't comfort him; Rachel was still out there with that… That _Monster…_

"You keep me updated if she sends another location or I will END you when I get back, you know that right?" he stated, and he could hear Mike chuckle slightly.

_"Yeah man, I know. I'll phone you when the next location comes to. She said she'd send more, so we just have to wait until she does,"_ Mike replied. Sam sighed.

"Okay. I gotta go, but my phone is in my back pocket, bud. You try anything funny and I-"

_"Will End me, I know. Go deal with horses, I'll phone you when she texts," _Mike cut him off, and the phone line went dead. Sam sighed, and flipped his phone shut, falling backwards onto the bed and looking at the ceiling in silent fear. _Dammit Rachel… _He got up off the bed and went to take a shower.

~Meanwhile~

Mike walked back into the Glee room, where most of the club was sitting with worried expressions covering their faces. Even Matt was there now, and he was pacing back and forth in the corner behind the drums with Puck right behind him. Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Artie, and even Blaine were sitting closely huddled together talking about Rachel. Lauren was nowhere to be found, of course. Santana and Britt, meanwhile, were sitting away from the others with a laptop on Santana's lap and her phone plugged in and sitting on the chair next to Santana . Mike slumped down into the seat behind them.

"I just talked to Sam, I let him know about what's going on," he murmured, and Santana looked up.

"Why would you worry him? S'not like he can help," she replied, and Mike shrugged.

"So far, the location shows that their heading south. For all we know they could be heading towards Sam," he suggested, thinly veiling the fact that he knew they were heading towards Sam and that as soon as they passed the Tennessee state line, he'd be jumping out of the choir room on speed dial with Rachel's best friend/complicated lover. San shrugged, and went back to her google mapping.

_Sam_

"Sam, what's going on? You're not even eating!"

Lina's voice broke through Sam's daze; He'd been in a numb shock ever since he'd heard about Rachel. _If he so much as touches her, I swear to god-_

"Nothing, Grams. Sorry, I'm just a little distracted today," he murmured, and stabbed his salad aggressively.

"Well maybe we could help if you told us why you're here in the first place? I know you don't run from nothing, Sam. Spill the beans," Lina snapped. Sam sighed. He knew he'd have to tell them eventually; His grandmother was a very inquisitive lady, whereas his grandfather Joseph was a quiet, calm, wise man who could understand anybody from any perspective. _Here goes nothing…_ Sam thought, and he launched into the story about Rachel. When he came to the part where he got a phone call from Mike telling him that Rachel and Finn are missing, Lina gasped and jumped out of her chair. "What the hell are you waiting for, then? Get out there and find her!" she exclaimed.

"Grams, They're in Kentucky, and I don't even know where to start looking," he protested, and Lina unwillingly sat back down again. She was giving him a glare worthy of Sue Sylvester, and Sam barely managed to keep still as a shiver crawled up his spine.

"Fine. But as SOON as they pass into Tennessee I expect you to get your ass in that pickup truck and go get her, you got that?" she muttered, and Sam nodded.

"That's what I was planning to do. She's sending Santana texts with locations, so when she passes into Tennessee, I'll be on the road before you can blink, alright?" he assured her, before getting up from the table, taking his plate full of half-eaten, picked at salad and walked outside. He didn't stop walking until he got to his truck, and sat in the flatbed, looking over the farm. _I swear to god… If she gets hurt and it's because I left and I screwed this up, I'll never forgive myself…_

_Rachel_

"Can we pull over?"

Rachel spoke up from the backseat of Finn's sedan. He looked up.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. She rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"Because I have to pee, now can we pull over in the next town?" she snapped, and he nodded slightly, before looking back to the road. _Perfect, _she thought, and raised her phone quietly. She'd seen the sign coming for farther back, and just as they passed it, she snapped a picture. The lucky thing for her was that Finn's headlights set off a LOT of light, so the sign was illuminated perfectly in the image, showing the white letters boldly. _Somerset in 15 km. I'm guessing we'll stay overnight, _she thought to herself. It was pitch black outside; Well past midnight, and Rachel was fighting a raging battle against the pounding headache and the comforting peace of sleep. She'd put off taking another painkiller, because she didn't want to fall asleep and miss a sign that could give her friends a location. She sent the photo to Santana - _Somerset in 15 km, I asked Frankendouche to pull over for a bathroom. He's exhausted, we'll probably spend the night. I'll let you know what happens. _she sent the image just as they pulled over into a convenience store. Finn Parked the car and turned to look at her from the froth seat.

"Okay, you go use the bathroom, and I'll go find a place to spend the night, alright? we'll keep driving in the morning," he murmured, and you could hear the exhaustion saturating his voice. She nodded stiffly, before getting out of the car and bringing her bag with her. She'd been in the same clothes since yesterday, and she figured she should change into something more comfy. A few minutes later when she stepped out of a bathroom stall in clean clothes, her phone went off. Lucky for her, the convenience store was right next to a bar, and the sound coming out of the short, narrow, high-set window was loud enough to muffle her voice from the echoing walls of the Bathroom. She flipped it open and pressed talk.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

_"Rach! Oh my god, are you alright?" _Matt's voice rang through the earpiece and Rachel shuddered in weak relief. The comforting sound of Matt's voice was more than welcome to the overly-stressed emotional state she was in.

"Matt! I'm okay, but I don't know where I am! Finn took me after school yesterday, I fell and-" she stopped when she heard a struggle on the other end, followed by the faint sound of Santana's voice screaming at Matt. The phone was pressed up against someone again.

_"B, what the hell's going on? why haven't you kicked Frankendouche's ass and stole his car yet? Has he tried anything stupid? Where are you-" _Santana started going off on her, but Rachel cut her off.

"I'm in a bathroom at a convenience store in Somerset. Finn's booking a place to stay for the night. San, what am I going to do? I can't fight him, he's a giant!" she wailed quietly.

_"B, chill out, everything will be alrigh-"_ the phone was passed to someone else again.

"San?" she asks hesitantly after a moment of silence.

_"Nope, Nice try, Rach." _Mike replied smugly, and she laughed for a second.

"Mike, what can I do to slow him down?" she asked him.

_"I can't explain without someone killing me, but you'll find out soon enough. If you guys keep moving south, you'll walk right into our plan. You guys are in southern Kentucky right now -Text us when you get into Tennessee. In the meantime, keep sending us road signs, Santana's mapping your route," _He explained quickly. She was about to reply when she heard someone pound on the door.

"Rach! Hurry up, alright?" Finn's voice complained. She muffled the phone against her sweater's shoulder.

"Be right there, chill out!" she snapped. She put the phone back to her ear once she heard him leave. "I gotta go. Thank you so much for letting me know that, Mike. I'll try and phone later when Finn falls to sleep. Bye!" she said, and shut the phone. A shiver rolled through her shoulders, and she took a deep, centring breath before she walked out and joined Finn in the sedan again, her phone hidden very conveniently up the sleeve of her sweater. She'd managed to change into a MUCH comfier outfit for driving - A low-cut, spaghetti strapped, olive green sports tank, a pair of dark grey demi-sweatpants, and a warm grey fleece hoodie with darker plaid markings barely visible in the weave of the fabric. She was now wearing a pair of trainers and not black bandage booties, and her feet were relishing in the comfiness. She'd managed to put her hair into some messy braids to cover up the messy, sleep-tousled stye of hair she'd had before, and she'd washed her face. Finn took no notice of this, however, as they pulled out of the parking lot and towards the Crescent moon Inn. He'd got a single room, but there were two beds. _At least he had the decency to think ahead,_ she thought, as she curled up on one of the beds. Her mind wandered to her conversation with her friends in Lima. _Of course, the one person I REALLY wanted to talk to wasn't there… And I'm to blame, dammit._ Sleep claimed her mercifully after spending a few minutes beating herself up about her mistake.


	12. open Road  The Trilogy, Part II

**CHAPTER 8 - Open Road -THE TRILOGY**

**AN: Hola! GUESS WHAT? My Arm is not broken(They said I might've either fractured it or pinched the nerves) And therefore I shall continue writing the trilogy! It may take longer because my arm hurts after awhile of typing, but yeah! **

**As for the Reviews(Which are still SO amazing) They're actually pretty close to Tennessee - They're in Somerset, right? If you look on Google maps, they don't have much longer till they pass the state line. I still have to figure out which town I want to put Sam in, but that shouldn't be a problem.**

**~IMPORTANT~**

**SO, this is the Second part of "Open Road - the Trilogy" And this is also the part where the music element in the story begins to change. **

**For the next two parts of this trilogy, Every portion that is Italic and underlined is a lyric. It's Background Music - It means nobody's singing it, it's just there in the background to go along with the scene and amplify the onset of emotions. This is how it's going to work: Everytime there's background music in a scene, there will be a link at the beginning, before the scene begins. Click the link(in a new window) and then wait until you see (PLAY) in the text before starting the video. I may also write the time point to skip to next to the (PLAY) sign. So yeah… Enjoy this!**

**xoxo,**

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER VIII - Open Road, PART II**

_Rachel_

"Rach, time to get up."

Finn's voice brought Rachel out of her reverie. She opened her eyes and looked around. They were in a small motel room, with two twin beds and a crappy TV set. Stretching, she sat up.

"Where are we?" she asked him, as she extended her arms above her head and leaned to the side, getting all the kinks out of her back.

"Somerset, Kentucky. Now c'mon, we gotta go," he explained as he shoved his clothes into his bag. _Not so fast,_ Rachel thought. She stood up and grabbed his wrist with a surprising amount of strength.

"Hold up, Frankendouche. We're not going ANYWHERE, until you cut your act and tell me why the hell you took me here," she snapped. Finn tried to shrug out of her grip but instead found himself being flipped. He ended up on the floor of the motel with a loud_THUD,_ with the air whistling out of his lungs in a huff, and Rachel looking down on him with a smug expression on her face.

"You didn't need to flip me, dammit," he muttered when he regained his breath. Rachel smirked and sat on the edge of her bed, still in her PJ's.

"You ready to talk yet, or do I have to put you in a headlock?" she silently thanked the two years of Judo training her dads forced her into. She'd made it all the way up to a Brown belt by that time. She chuckled as she remembered Mike and Matt - who were also in her classes - Trying to flip each other. She'd walked right up to them at the exact right moment, so when they charged forward, she flipped both and walked away with them sprawled out on their backs. She never let Mike or Matt live that one down, that's for sure.

"Fine," Finn muttered, and sat up against the side of the bed. "What do you want to know?"

"I want an explanation on why you brought me here. And don't pull that short answered, sounds-intelligent i'm-so-proud-of-myself-for-pulling-this-off shit; I want to talk to the REAL Finn, and I want a damn good reason why I'm here," she replied in a brisk tone. He sighed, and looked down at the floor.

"Because you need to understand what I'm going through. Why would you need to forgive me? You're the one who needs to be asking for forgiveness! You kissed Puck!" he half-cried, half-murmured. She remained silent, because she didn't want to end up on the wrong end of the knife in this situation. "You kissed Puck, and then I couldn't look at you anymore. It… I couldn't look at you anymore because I knew you'd cheated on me and that I wasn't good enough for you. So I broke up with you. And then Quinn gave me these vibes and we got back together again. But when you started changing and you sang that song that practically told me to fuck off, I got pissed, because YOU were in the wrong all along!" he finished, the tone of his voice having risen substantially during his speech and now bristled with anger. This is when she decided to step in.

"Are you serious? I wasn't the one who started this! You're the one who lied to me about sleeping with Santana. If you hadn't lied, we wouldn't be in this place! When I found out, I was DISTRAUGHT. I couldn't think straight anymore. You hurt me first, not the other way around. And I had the right to get pissed at you, you kept something that big from me! So I acted out and YEAH, maybe the way I did wasn't the best choice, but I needed to be distracted. I couldn't think about the fact that My heart was being held in place by threads of hope; I just needed to escape. And then you broke up with me and I… I… I turned into a corpse. I was there, I was breathing and moving, but I was dead inside. And to top it off, you got back together with QUINN; QUINN, the girl who got PREGNANT with Puck's kid, the girl who was DATING my best friend. She… She SLEPT with Puck. I kissed him. And you chose her over me? That was the icing on the cake, Finn. YOU FUCKED THIS UP, NOT ME. And I changed my ways after that. I stopped hiding behind the animal sweaters, showed my emotions through something other than singing. And Sam - God, Sam was a godsend to me. He was there for me when you WEREN'T. And He helped me get back on my feet and recover… He… He SAVED me. And when I start telling you to shove it because I'm tired of your dickheaded moves, you KIDNAP ME? What the fuck are you drinking, Finn? You can't just… You can't just do that! And what you did to Sam? That gives me SO many good reasons to kick the SHIT out of you. But I'm not, because You've kidnapped me and I'm stuck without you. So THERE. We talked. Can we LEAVE now?" she snapped. Tears had rolled down her cheeks halfway through that speech, and now she wiped them away, grabbed a change of clothes and slammed the bathroom door behind her as she went to change.

_Sam_

(Link for background music:)

.com/watch?v=CusGBZh5V_4&feature=BFa&list=WL90E5135B17A12158&index=8

(Skip to 1:24 in video, wait for signal to start playing)

_C'mon, c'mon… Pick up the damn phone…_

Sam paced back & forth in his room the next day, his phone pressed up against his ear and an impatient, worried expression on his face. _Mike, I swear to GOD if don't pick up-_

_ "'Lo?" _Mike answered. Sam exhaled in relief.

"Mike! What's going on, any new updates?" he asked.

_ "They spent the night in Somerset, and she texted to let us know they passed into Tennessee about… Oh, a little over an hour ago. I was literally about to phone you and let you know," _he replied calmly. Sam exhaled again.

_"_What's the last location she sent in?" he asked.

_"Umm, I Think it was…. Wait, Santana just got another location-" _his voice cut off, and the phone was muffled for a second. _"Okay, she just texted saying they got into Wartburg and they'll be leaving in a few minut-"_

"Wartburg? How the hell did they get there so fast?" Sam murmured, shocked. _Finn must be flooring the gas pedal..._

_ "Why?" _

"Because - The next town is Oliver Springs, I can get there in an hour," Sam explained, as he grabbed his keys and began running towards his truck, still on the phone with Mike. _Wait, they're still nowhere near town, it'll take them at least two and a half hours to get there… _He sighed as he reached the truck. _Well, I'm already out here, I might as well just stay until the next update. _He popped the tailgate and sat down.

_"You serious? That's great!" _Mike exclaimed, and Sam could practically hear the smile on his face as he said that. (PLAY)

"Alright, Mike, keep me updated," Sam replied, and they both hung up.

_Well all I really wanna do Is love you,_

_ A kind much closer than friends use,_

_ But I Still can't say it after all we've been through… _He sighed, and leaned back to lie in the flatbed of his truck. _And All I really want for you is to feel me, As the feeling inside keeps building,_

___Time, Speed the fuck up,_ Sam thought, as he looked up at the sky.

_And I will find a way to you if it kills me, If it kills me..._

_Rachel_

.com/watch?v=uhmbBMd6OC4

(start off with no skip. When you see this ****, Skip to 2:48)

"Rach, c'mon! We gotta leave soon!"

Finn's voice rang out from behind the washroom door. Rachel snapped her phone shut; They'd been on the road for about five hours now; They'd left at 8:30 that morning, and pulled over in Wartburg. Now she was hiding in a bathroom stall and texting their location to Santana. _San - We just got into Wartburg, we'll be leaving in about five minutes. _She sighed and stuck the phone up her sleeve again.

"I'll be right out, Finn, just chill!" She snapped. An hour ago during the car ride, he'd begun rambling on in an apology and that he didn't know what she was going through. She'd asked if they could go back again, but Finn decided it would be good for her to relax for awhile considering she was so tense.

Flushing the toilet to make it seem like nothing out of the ordinary, she exited the stall and looked at herself in the mirror. _I can do this. _Steeling her nerves, she walked out of the bathroom and back into he convenience store. "Happy now?" she muttered sarcastically to Finn, who was standing there waiting for her to exit.

"You can grab something to drink if you want," he replied, and handed her five bucks. "I'll be in the car, alright?" he added, and left the store. _Wow, this guy's a moron… Leaving his captive alone in a convenience store? Just… Wow… _She walked over to the drinks and pondered for a moment. (PLAY) She was just about to go to the checkout stand when her phone buzzed again. She paused, and turned around again to go back to the drinks. _Finn can't see me here,_ she noted, before she took her phone out and flipped it open. To her surprise, the person who texted her wasn't Santana or Mike. _…Sam?_

_Rach, It's Sam. I know you probably still hate me, but I know what's going on. You're in Wartburg, right? - SE._ She pressed reply, asking him why he was texting and why he wanted to know. She slipped the phone back up her sleeve, but as she went to the checkout stand it buzzed again. She took her phone out, hiding it discreetly from where she stood to hide it from Finn's line of sight as he sat outside in the car. She pressed read, and what she read made her catch her breath for a moment; Her knees felt weak underneath her, and she found herself fighting back sobs.

_The next town you get to is Oliver Springs. Ask Frankendouche to pull over to a rest stop. When you get there, tell me where you are and I'll come get you. - SE._ She finally remembered to breathe, and took in a shaky breath. _Oh god… Oh, Thank god… _She payed for the drink and walked out to the car. By the time she got in, her face was composed again, her phone hidden up her sleeve, and her breathing even again. As Finn pulled out of the parking lot and they hit the road again, she looked down and smiled in weak relief. ****

_Can you hear my, Call? Are you coming to get me now…?_

_I've been waiting, for, You to come rescue me,_

_ I need you to hold, all of the sadness, i cannot live with inside me… _

_ I'm in here, Can anybody see me?_

_ Can anybody help?_

___Thank god…_

_~ two and a half hours later~_

"Can we stop? I need to use the bathroom," she asked Finn. They were just pulling into Oliver Springs, and Rachel could barely hold her anxiousness in.

"Yeah, I could use some snacks," he murmured, and she nodded. She looked out the window, watching the buildings go by. _Soon, Rachel, Soon. Calm down._ but no matter how many times she though that, it never worked. They pulled into a small convenience store a few minutes later, and Rachel got out. As she shut the door, she slid her phone down her sleeve and held it in her hand, immediately putting it in Camera mode. As she walked around the back of the car, she snapped a picture of the rear end of the car - Make, model, and plate included. She smirked; _He won't even see this coming. _As she walked towards the door of the convenience store, she caught the name of the store on photo too. _Okay, Rachel, time to move. _She quickly made her way to the bathroom and shut herself in one of the stalls.

_Sam - I'm in Paul's pit stop. The car is a 2007 Toyota corolla, silver paint, license AKF 915_ - _RB. _She shut her phone and a moment later, someone phoned it. _Sam._ She picked up, but hesitated a few seconds before answering.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

_"Rach, It's Sam. How long do you think you can stay in that store?" _Sam's voice sent a shiver down her spine, and she immediately felt her muscles relax a bit more.

"If I manage to get out of the bathroom, I can probably hide for a few minutes," she replied, keeping her voice low.

_"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes. Just stay calm, I'll see you soon," _he replied, and Rachel could've sworn she heard a tone of relief and… anxiousness? in his voice.

"Alright," she replied, and hung up. She took a deep breath to relax herself, before she slipped out of the bathroom discreetly. She scanned the store - It was big for a rest stop, but she could use that to her advantage. Her eyes settled on some vending machines; _Perfect._ Keeping low, she made her way towards them. when she reached them, she slid up against the side of it. She could clearly see the chips and the bathroom, but fro where she was, she was completely out of sight from both. She watched as Finn pieced a bag of chips and walked over to the bathroom doors. He called into it.

"Hey, Rach - I'll be outside in the car, 'Kay?" he called, and turned around to go check out. _Close call,_ she thought and let out a sigh. She watched him leave the store, and exhaled in relief. _Hard part's over._

_Sam_

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Just stay calm, I'll see you soon," he tried to reassure her as he drove one-handed towards the pit stop.

_"Alright," _she replied, and the line disconnected. He shut his own phone as he pulled up to a traffic light. _HURRY UP, DAMMIT,_ he snapped silently at the lights. Thank god it wasn't a busy day, otherwise Sam would be even more impatient. _I hate just sitting here while she could be leaving again… _The light turned green, and Sam sped off again. The light blue building came into view a few minutes later, and he pulled into the parking lot. Just as he pulled into a slot, he spotted Finn walking out of the convenience store holding a paper bag with a bagel and a coffee. His gaze immediately turned to the old, beat up pickup he was driving; Sam cursed under his breath. _Shit… Forgot about Finn. Play it cool, Sam. _He got out of the car and walked towards the store, pretending not to notice the giant teenager watching him.

"Sam?"

_Finn_

_OH, SHIT. Is that SAM? _The panic shot through Finn;s body as the beat up red pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. He watched a a broad-shouldered blonde guy got out of the drivers' side and began walking to the front doors. _Shit, I can't let him see Rachel! _

"Sam?" Finn called out. The blonde guy turned to look at him; It _WAS _Sam!

"Finn?" San replied, looking incredibly confused. He walked over towards Finn. _Shit, shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-_

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked, barely managing to keep the panic out of his voice.

"I… Uh… I'm staying with my grandparents at their horse ranch about an hour from here," He explained, looking down.

"Why'd you leave?" Finn asked. He knew he probably shouldn't have but he had to know.

"Why do you give a shit?" he replied bitterly. Then he looked up at Finn again, suspicion evident in his expression. "Why are you here?"

"I… Uh…" Finn Stuttered. Sam's gaze flickered to something behind Finn for a split second and then back to his face. Eyes wide open, Finn turned around and found himself face-to-face with a man in uniform.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the officer said, before turning Finn around and slapping shiny silver cuffs around his wrists. As the officer read his rights, he watched as Sam booked it into the store. _NO! SHIT….. DAMMIT!_


	13. Open Road  The Trilogy, Part III  END

**CHAPTER 8 - Open Road -THE TRILOGY**

**(IF YOU DO NOT NORMALLY READ THE AN'S AT THE BEGINNING, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO SO ON THIS CHAPTER)**

***IMPORTANT A/N***

**A/N: Hey guys, Welcome to The end of the Trilogy! **

**I'm sorry it took so long to upload this - I've been cramming for the PAT's and I've been spending some time thinking about what I should do next with this series. SO - READ THIS: I'm thinking that this is going to be the last chapter to this story. I don't think there's that much more that I could do with it, but don't worry: I'm already planning out different possible storyiines - Speaking of storyiines, if you have any suggestions for me to write out, you can PM me and let me know what your idea is. If I decide to use your storyline, I WILL give you the credit for it, too - and then I'll see where it goes from there.**

***SUPER IMPORTANT***

**After everything is done and dealt with, I will start taking requests for storylines if you have anything you'd like me to write. They don't have to be in this AU necessarily, but yeah. Don't be afraid to ask me to write something! It'll help me increase my writing skills AND you guys get another story! XD WIN WIN!**

**Do not forget to use the music link in this chapter to get the complete effect of the scene!**

**This is the last chapter of Scratch, let me know what you think!**

**There is an A/N in the middle of Rachels' POV about a windowsill - Like I said in the previous chapters, I seldom actually **

_**Silver***_

**CHAPTER VIII - PART III - FINALE**

_Sam_

_Where is she?_

Sam burst through the doors of the convenience store, his gaze scanning frantically over the aisles of the store, looking for Rachel. "RACH?" he called. Nothing. _Aw, shit. Here we go again. _He began walking along the beginning of the aisles, glancing down every one of them as he walked by in hopes of catching a glimpse of sleek, shiny dark brown curls that would signify Rachel. Of course, with his luck, there was a school bus full of sixth graders that had pulled over at the pit stop and the kids were all about Rachels' height. "Rachel!" He called again. He heard something near the back of the store, then a voice that was almost drowned out from the sound of the squealing kids.

"Sam?" It called. A rush of dizzying relief overtook him as he recognized the voice.

"RACH!" he called out again, moving towards the direction of the voice. It didn't help that the kids were getting in his way, otherwise he would've started running. A Flash of dark brown caught his eye as he passed an aisle; Stopping and retreating back again, He found himself standing on the opposite end of the (probably only) empty aisle from a tiny, slender, brown-eyed girl who looked like she was being chased. Her eyes were filled with shock, one of those deer-in-the-headlights expressions gracing her face. "Rach," He sighed, relieved, as he started walking towards her, and the shocked expression on her face melted away into one of weak relief as she mimicked his actions and began moving towards him, complete with tears welling up in her eyes. She began running for him. He sped up to meet her halfway, and she launched herself into his arms. His arms wrapped around her and he held her tightly, afraid that he'd lose her again, yet weak with relief that she was safe in his arms once again. He felt her slender arms wrap tightly around his neck and shoulders, her face buried into the crook of his neck. He felt hot tears begin to soak his shirt as she sobbed.

"Sam," she whispered hoarsely, and he tightened his grip on her. She was literally shaking; Or was that himself? _Who cares, she's safe,_ he thought.

"It's okay, Rach. I got you, it's alright," he whispered into her ear soothingly, as he moved one hand to cradle the back of her head, smoothing out her flower-scented hair. He didn't know how long they stayed like that; Standing in the middle of a pit stop snack aisle, holding onto each other for dear life, before he pulled back a bit to look her in the eyes. She looked like she'd been through hell and back; she was favouring her left foot, causing her to limp a bit, and her right arm was not holding onto him as tightly as the other was. She had a faint purplish grey bruise on the side of her forehead, partly covered by her hairline._ Stop looking, Sam. You're gonna make yourself sick,_ he thought to himself, and pressed his lips to her forehead overtop of the bruise. "Are you okay?" he asked her, as he looked her in the eyes and tried to ignore the bruise on her forehead that made him want to hurl. She nodded slightly.

"Oh god, get me out of here," she managed to choke out between dry-heaving-like breaths, and her eyes wide with fear and disgust when she came out of her little world and realized where she was and what just happened. He nodded, and let go of her. She looked at him with confusion for a split second, before he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Okay, c'mon," he murmured quietly, and he began walking forward. He stopped abruptly when he heard Rachel let out a breath through clenched teeth. He turned to look at her with concern in his eyes. _Shit, how bad is she hurt?_ The pain in her eyes was evident. "You okay?" he asked her.

"I sorta busted my foot," she muttered. He felt one of the corners of his lips pull up into a half-smirk. _Of course she did. _Bending down, he swept his forearm along the backs of her knees, and picked her up bridal style. Memories rushed into his mind as he remembered carrying her to the couch the last time Finn did something stupid and ended up at her doorstep in the wee hours of the morning. _That doesn't matter anymore, Finn's screwed over with the law, and I should seriously be focusing on the fact that she is safe in my arms like I've been dreaming of for weeks now. _He felt her fist his shirt in her tiny hand, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head as he walked out of the store.

_Rachel_

_ It feels like it was a dream._

Rachel sat with her back against the wall of her bedroom windowsill**(hard to explain; read A/N for an idea)**, her legs bent and her arms crossed over her chest, clutching one of her throw pillows, watching the rainstorm. It's been two days since Sam had intercepted Finn's kidnapping plot, and she'd been returned to her home in Lima earlier that day. _I swear I should be freaking out right now… Maybe it's the rainstorm… Rainstorms always calm me down._ She reflected on what had happened in the past 12 hours; When she'd arrived home, she'd been surprised to find most of the Glee club waiting on her front porch to greet her. The first person to grab her in a vice-tight hug, though, was Matt, who'd been accompanying the Glee club while they tracked her locations.

~Flashback~

"We're almost there, Ma'am."

The police officer who was driving the cruiser she was riding in looked at her through the rearview mirror. She looked up from her daydreams, and nodded, smiling warmly.

"Okay," she replied, and the officer nodded. The last three days had been surprisingly calm; after Sam came and got her, Finn was taken to the local police station to be dealt with. Sam had tried to get her to press charges, but she didn't. If he got pressed with charges, it could ruin his future. She knew that it was a miscommunication over a disagreement, so she'd just asked them to post a bail and phone his parents. She'd spent the last of that evening curled up in a ball, sitting in Sam's lap and clutching is shirt for dear life. She smiled slightly when she remembered how all her problems and worries seemed to vanish as soon as his arms wrapped around her. _I was so wrong,_ she thought to herself. _I don't know why I even tried to deny my feelings for him like that. I knew in the long run it would hurt me, and I knew it would hurt him… Stupid move._ The cruiser turned onto another street, and Rachel sighed anxiously as she took in the familiar houses. _One more street, then I'm home again,_ she thought. When the cruiser pulled up in front of her house a moment later, she felt a wide, excited smile creep onto her face. There, standing on her front porch, was a group of familiar teenagers. From where the cruiser was parked she could easily make out Artie's wheelchair and Puck's 'hawk. The car shut off, and her hands immediately flew to her seatbelt buckle, struggling to get it off as fast as she could. She freed herself from the restraint, grabbed her purse, and literally flung herself out of the car. As soon as she hit the ground, she heard Santana shrieking.

"RACH!" Her voice echoed off the empty street, and the sound of footsteps heading down the stairs of her front porch. She looked up and saw the entire club heading towards her. Her eyes grew wide with surprise when she saw Matt at the front of the group, running towards her. She dropped her bag in an instant, mentally preparing herself, as he gathered her in his arms in a vice-tight bear hug.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "Can't breathe!" He let her go and they all laughed. She gave him a quick hug before she was pulled into another one. Santana had surprisingly strong arms, but Rachel wrapped her own around the slender Latina as she relaxed into the arms of one of her now best-girl-friend. "Sorry I worried you so much," she joked, and Santana laughed.

"Hey if you didn't, god knows where you'd be right now," she pointed out, and Rachel saw a few heads nod in agreement. She smiled excitedly before someone jumped on her form behind, screaming. She laughed.

"Rach, you're safe!" Britt squealed, her voice full of happiness, and Rachel set her down to give her a proper hug.

"Good to see you too, Britt," she replied, and Britt clapped happily. A large hand rested on her shoulder and turned her around. Before she could register who it was, a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and she breathed in the scent of musty cologne. "Hi Puck," she added innocently, her eyes shut, and the rest of them laughed at how she could tell it was him. He let her go, his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

"Good to see my hot little Jewish American Princess is in one piece," he replied, and she smiled.

"I missed that," she sighed, and he smiled. Suddenly her knees her knocked out from behind her and she found herselfsitting in Arties' lap. "Boo!" he exclaimed, as her eyes brightened and her smile widened. _OH MY GOD, _she thought, as she let out a short squeal of happiness and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She felt his shoulders shake in laughter.

"You have NO idea how much I missed arguing with you over Black ops! It was so BORING sitting in a car with nothing to do!" she complained, and she heard Mike start laughing behind her. She got up off of Arties' lap and went over to hug Mike.

"Yeah, thank god you're home! Artie would NOT stop bugging me to play Black ops when you were gone," he smirked, and Rachel started laughing uncontrollably as she thought of her best guy-friend pestering the skinny asian over headset.

"Nice, Artie. Did you at least manage to kick his ass?" she asked Mike, and he shook his head with a disgruntled expression on his face. She smirked. "Thought so," she murmured. She was pulled back and into a pair of delicate yet strong arms. As soon as the scent of lacoste perfume registered in her senses, she squealed and turned around to grab Kurt in a hug. "YOU!" She exclaimed, and Kurt laughed.

"Diva, you scared the hell out of me! Do it again and I swear to god you'll never see the light of day again!" he warned playfully, and she smirked.

"Try me," she muttered under her breath, but Kurt caught it. The resulting protests he started spewing were background noise, though, when her gaze caught a flash of long blonde hair. Her eyes widened in awe and happiness, and she walked forward. "Hey," she said to Quinn, as she wrapped her arms around the blonde. Quinn's eyes were watery, and she smiled breathlessly as she held Rachel in a tight embrace.

"Do NOT scare me like that again," she muttered into Rachels' ear, and she chuckled slightly.

"Promise I won't," she replied, her own eyes watering, and they pulled back to look each other in the eye. She watched as Quinn's gaze scanned over the bruise on her head and her eyes flashed in guilt. "Hey," she commanded here attention softly, gripping Quinn's shoulders and staring her dead in the eyes. "You are NOT responsible for this. Frankendouche is, and I got out of it alright, considering he's a two hundred pound giant," I murmured, and Quinn nodded.

"I can't believe he did this…" she whispered, and Rachel wrapped her arms around the blonde once again.

"It's over now, that's all that matters," She replied quietly, and she felt Quinn nod her head. Eventually, once everyone finally settled down and said their hello's to the newly-returned lead singer, they went inside and set up some movies on the 50' flat screen TV. When they were switching out movies, she got up to go get more soda. As she shut the door to the fridge, she heard a set of footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Mike leaning against the cabinet. She smiled briefly, and set the pop cans down on the counter in front of her. "Hey," she said, and he smirked slightly.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked, nodding in acknowledgement to the white gauze that was wrapped tightly over Rachels' right elbow. The gash had been pretty deep, and the medic when she was in Tennessee had given her a few stitches when she saw that the gauze had been trapped in the resulting scabs and would therefore pull them off and open the wound again. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Like I've been in some sort of purgatory for the last week," she replied smoothly, and Mike laughed. He walked over and stood next to her.

"Hey, look. I just… I wanted to apologize. If I'd stayed with you instead of going to get Tina, this wouldn't have happened, and you would have-" he started. She looked up at him with a surprised yet calm gaze when he'd started speaking, and now she'd put her finger on his lips to stop him from saying anything more.

"No," she cut him off. "None of you are to blame for this, and none of you can blame yourself anymore - I'm making a rule about that right now. If ANYONE is to be blamed, it's me or Frankendouche. But he's out of my life now, and I'm honestly just glad that I'm home and I'm with you guys again. So quit blaming yourself, because unless you fired the BB gun that shot my balance out form under me, you have no hand in this," she finished, taking a deep breath. Mike stared down at her with concern in his eyes, but he nodded after a moment. She sighed, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I'm okay, right? That's all that matters in the end. And I should be thanking you. For all we know, Finn might've done this earlier if you hadn't listened to Sam and kept me safe," she added, and he chuckled.

"Well, he practically threatened to run me over with his truck if I didn't," he murmured, before a look of smugness crept onto his face. "Besides, he'll come back eventually, won't he? My guess is he won't stay in Tennessee for that long after this," he added in a somewhat ominous tone, and Rachel laughed, completely oblivious to his tone of voice and what he was implying for once in her life. She let him go and picked up some of the soda cans while Mike took the others.

"That sounds like something he'd say. He thinks that damn chevy is indestructible," she agreed, and Mike laughed.

"So, So true."

~end flashback~

(.com/watch?v=y47H2voW4QI&feature=related) (WAIT FOR PLAY SIGN LIKE LAST TIME)

Lightning flashed outside, and Rachel clutched her throw pillow tighter for a second. She sighed; even if she was home, things still weren't complete. _Sam's still in Tennessee, and I feel unconditionally morbid about it, _she thought bitterly. _I was so stupid… If I didn't push him away, then maybe none of this would've happened. _(PLAY) She sighed, resting her head back on the wall and looking up at the peaceful, calming grey sky as the rain poured down. She stared up like that for what seemed like ages before a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and her eyes looked down at the street lights that illuminated the sidewalk; Something had passed underneath one of them. _Who the hell would be out in this weather?_ she wondered. _Must be some die-hard rainstorm fan, then, _she chuckled, imagining being outside in this on purpose. Only when the figure passed under the next street light, did she stop laughing to herself, and feel her breathing stop. Because not only was the figure moving in her direction, but she recognized this particular figure. The broad shoulders and the hunched forward posture the figure currently sported were _quite _familiar. _What the…_ She remembered what Mike had said in the kitchen earlier, about how he would be back. _That little… He was in on this, wasn't he?_ The figure passed under the next street light, his identity clearly distinguishable now from where Rachel was sitting. She sat up, her legs collapsing off the side of the windowsill bench. The figure raised his head, and their gazes locked through her window. She tensed as she felt the electric shock jolt through her veins, and for a split second there was silence before she vaulted herself towards her bedroom door, flinging it open and racing down the stairway as fast as she could. She flung the front door open, and stepped out into the rain. The thin, tight-fitting silver blue v-neck t-shirt and her dark, tattered denim flare jeans were instantly soaked as she walked to the edge of her front balcony, peering out into the rain at the figure walking closer. there was no doubt about who it was now; he was soaked to the bone, with his shaggy blonde hair plastered to his face much like her own was now, and his jeans and tight-fitting dark v-neck muscle shirt dripping wet. She moved towards the stairway off her deck, and walked down the extra two meters remaining of her driveway until she was standing on the sidewalk, barefoot, in the middle of the pouring rainstorm. He'd quickened his pace, and now he was almost storming towards her, his posture determined, and his eyes giving off the expression _nothing-can-stop-me-right-now. _He was just across the street from her now, and he wasn't slowing his pace.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly as he made the last few steps towards her, but she knew he could hear her. His reply sent shivers down her spine, nonetheless.

"Shut up for a sec," Sam murmured, and as he took the last step towards her, his hands came forward and cupped her face, and he crashed his lips onto hers. The sickening, giddy jolt of electricity that went through her body made her dizzy, but a second later she found her arms snaking around his neck and pulling his closer. One of his hands slid down and wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. The kiss was forceful and rough, yet sweet and passionate at the same time. It grew in intensity, moving from simple pecks to lips locked and tongues dancing, and Rachel had no idea how long they'd been standing here. Her feet were numb, but she didn't know if that was because she felt like she was humming with electricity, or because of the rain. Once again, like the last time this had happened, breathing became a necessary element, and they broke apart. Unlike the last time, though, he did not pull away, and their foreheads rested together as they drowned in each others' expressions lustfully. A small smile crept onto Rachels' face, and Sam mimicked her with a breathless grin. She leaned forward and kissed him once again, before pulling him towards the lower entrance to her house.

_**END.**_

**Pre AN: The song used (link) was Street Lights by Kanye West.**

**AN: Well, there you have it, folks! I know it was kinda short, but Like I said - there's going to be a sequel! Eventually! All I know is that I won't keep you guys hanging for as long as I did this time. 19 days, holy crap I messed up! But yeah, I was cramming for exams and then dealing with leftover assignment for the end of the school year. What I'm going to do this time, though, is write out at least five chapters extra for the sequel before I upload the first onto FanFiction, because that's what I did this time and it seriously interfered with my homework and stuff. So yeash! Tell me what you think, and If you have any requests for stories or suggestions for the sequel lemme know in a PM or in a review!**

**Lots of love,**

_**Silver***_


	14. FICLETS

SCRATCH:

SEQUEL INFORMATION:

NOTE: this is pretty much one gigantic A/N for all you readers! And this entire A/N Is in regard to my previous story, "Scratch" for those who don't know.

A/N: Hi guys! So I know it's been a LONG time since You've heard from me, and I haven't exactly been keeping you guys updated. I know I promised a sequel to "Scratch" But instead, I'm going to be writing several ficlets that highlight the friendships Rachel makes in Scratch. The following friendships will be put into their own little ficlet:

RachelXArtie

RachelXBrittany

RachelXQuinn

RachelXKurt

RachelXMike

RachelXSantana

RachelXMatt

Let me know if there are others you want to see!


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